Tim McGraw Is No Longer in Need of Liquid Courage

It's taken Tim McGraw 20 years to get to his elite status in country music today. Over the course of his career, he's had eleven consecutive albums debut at No. 1, won three Grammy awards, 14 ACM awards, 11 CMA awards, 10 American Music Awards, and three People's Choice Awards. His Soul2Soul II Tour with wife, Faith Hill is the highest grossing tour in country music history, and one of the top five among all genres of music.

Along the way, the 42-year-old superstar reveals he's had his share of onstage nerves. And he admits, in the past, he's battled his nerves with a pre-show drink or two, as some entertainers do. But over the past few years, Tim has quietly made some personal lifestyle changes he feels will keep him on top of his game for years to come.

"When I first started, I was really nervous. You could hear my voice quiver," he tells the Wall Street Journal. "So I started drinking a bit and that helped. A lot of entertainers have a few drinks before going onstage, and don't overdo it. Me, it turned into a bigger habit. But I stopped that. I was getting older, and I was thinking about my kids. There's enough roadblocks out there without throwing in more yourself."

Though he knows, like every entertainer does, there will always be nerves before show, Tim has actually discovered a serene new level of comfort and confidence over the past several years, minus that pre-show drink.

"It's been a work in progress for three or four years, but completely done -- about a year and a half," Tim says of his sobriety. "I'm more comfortable now. I can feel a real connection with the audience that maybe I was masking before. There's always nerves. Any athlete knows those butterflies are good, because you can turn them into something positive."

Tim has just released his tenth studio album, 'Southern Voice.' Listen to the CD, track-by-track, here.