Mark Chesnutt Reveals He Used to Drink Half a Gallon of Vodka Every Day

Mark Chesnutt took his final drink of alcohol on Nov. 1, 2023 after years of heavy drinking that worsened after a spinal surgery in 2021.

Read More: Mark Chesnutt Reveals He Almost Died During Harrowing Alcoholism Battle

Chesnutt has opened up in the past about his alcoholism. Now, he's opening up about the specifics of how much he drank. In a new interview with radio show Big D and Bubba, the singer opened up about the stark details.

How Much Alcohol Did Mark Chesnutt Drink Every Day Before He Quit Drinking?

"I drank all day, every day," Chesnutt says. "I'd get up in the middle of the night and drink. I'd never stop."

Chesnutt says "I'd go through about a handle" of Tito's vodka each day.

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How Much Liquor is a Handle?

A handle of alcohol is the big bottle with the handle, hence the name, and it equals roughly half of a gallon.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a handle of 80-proof distilled spirits equals about 39 and a half drinks. The NIAAA counts a "heavy drinking day" as five drinks per day for a man, four drinks per day for a woman.

That means that Chesnutt was consuming more than 7 times the amount he needed to in order to be considered a heavy daily drinker.

What Made Mark Chesnutt Get Sober?

Chesnutt says "I had to quit drinking or die."

In November 2023, he asked his wife to call an ambulance for him, and she did.

He wound up staying in a hospital in Knoxville for a week as doctors worked to address the health issues that had been ongoing with him. Chesnutt says doctors gave him four blood transfusions and diagnosed him with esophageal varices, a result of cirrhosis.

Read More: 18 Country Stars Who Are Committed To Sobriety

"I was bleeding out from my inside," he goes on to say. "They basically told me they were gonna get me over this, and I was going to be fine, and they could fix everything wrong with me. But if they discharged me and I went home and started drinking again, I'd be back in a matter of days, and I might not leave alive."

Chesnutt goes on to tell the Big D and Bubba that he still has buddies he hangs with that drink and he has gotten to a point now that it doesn't bother him to be around them and not drink, even if pressured.

"I could be sitting in a bar and everybody drinking in there but me, and it doesn't bother me. I feel so good right now, I wake up everyday and thank the good lord that I'm still kicking."