How Michael W. Smith Broke Free of Cocaine, LSD Addiction

Published: March 18, 2026

By Movieguide® Staff

Christian artist Michael W. Smith says his “identity crisis is solved” after surrendering his life to Christ amid substance abuse issues.

“I began to be enticed that you can play with the fire [and] you won’t get burned,” he said in a video for I Am Second. “Little did I know that I would be in the biggest pit of my life and feeling like there was no way of escape.”

Although Smith began pursuing a career in music after being called by God to do so, he shared that he soon got “sucked into” drugs and alcohol, saying he felt “so guilty” about his use of cocaine and LSD but couldn’t stop.

“It’s almost like your compass sort of just…disappears,” he explained. “You enter this whole other world and you don’t really realize what’s going down and then all of a sudden it’s too late…I knew where I belonged. I just couldn’t get out of the mess that I was in.”

In 1979, Smith had a near-death experience that caused him to cry out to God for help.

“The God of the universe came and wept with me on that floor. And I haven’t been the same since. It all changed,” he shared. “The greatest peace that I have is I know who I am. I’m a son of the high king of the universe. My identity crisis is solved.”

Smith would go on to sell over 15 million records, earning three Grammys and 44 Dove Awards. Today, he hopes his music helps make the world a better place.

“There are a lot of hurting people out there,” he told CCM Magazine in a 2025 interview. “I’m just reminding people of something that they probably already know… I think I’m just reminding them of what the book says.”

Smith elaborated on the idea in an interview with Nashville’s WSMV4, sharing, “As the world continues to get darker, there’s a lot of hurting people out there, and as I get older, you start to realize it’s not about me. It’s about taking this gift that you have — and we all have our gifts, mine just happens to be music — we have this opportunity to be able to change the world.”

For Smith, surrendering to God and asking for His help led him to overcome his substance abuse issues and share his message of hope with people all over the world.

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