Zach Bryan has opened up about his decision to stop drinking alcohol, describing the moment he began questioning his relationship with alcohol during a solo motorcycle journey across the United States. The country singer discussed his experience in a lengthy interview with actor Matthew McConaughey, released on October 16, 2026, alongside Bryan’s new eight-song EP, Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs.

During the conversation, Bryan explained that he had previously viewed sobriety as unnecessary for people who could supposedly control their drinking. He said he had not recognised that his own habits had become a problem, despite spending much of his time drinking and using alcohol to cope with difficult emotions.

Bryan recalled planning a month-long motorcycle trip from New York City to Los Angeles with friends. When they were unable to join him, he decided to travel alone, visiting national parks, meeting people along the way and taking part in activities including skydiving. He described the experience as an attempt to find meaning through travel, but said drinking remained a regular part of his days.

“I was stopping at all these bars and drinking myself to sleep,” Bryan told McConaughey, explaining that he would wake up each morning and continue his journey believing he was on a personal search for something meaningful.

The turning point came near Seattle, where Bryan stopped at a Pilot truck stop and bought a large Budweiser beer. Sitting outside with his motorcycle, he began reflecting on the previous month and the experiences he had accumulated. Despite travelling through scenic locations and meeting new people, he said he felt more emotionally empty than when he had started.

“I was sitting there, no one to call. Like what was I after?” Bryan recalled. He said the experience forced him to question whether the journey had delivered what he had been looking for. “Why am I drinking right now? What am I celebrating?” he remembered asking himself.

Bryan described the moment as a confrontation with his own behaviour. He had spent weeks seeking a defining experience that would make his journey feel worthwhile, but found himself alone outside a truck stop questioning his decisions. The realisation prompted him to reconsider the role alcohol played in his life.

The singer also discussed how writers Jack Kerouac and Ernest Hemingway had influenced his earlier perception of artistic life. He said he had romanticised their drinking and the mythology surrounding their work, focusing on their creativity and experiences while paying less attention to the consequences of their alcohol use and the circumstances of their deaths.

Bryan explained that he had once associated drinking with being an artist, believing that alcohol was part of a creative lifestyle. He later began to question that assumption, wondering how much more Kerouac and Hemingway might have written had they lived longer. Their lives became part of his reflection on whether the romantic image of the troubled, drinking artist was worth pursuing.

He also described experiencing severe panic attacks during a period when he was drinking heavily. Bryan said he had sometimes consumed around 15 beers a day and experienced episodes in which his body went numb and he feared he was having a stroke. He initially attributed the symptoms to hangovers, but said a doctor told him he appeared to be experiencing a serious panic disorder and suggested that stopping alcohol might help.

Before giving up drinking, Bryan had incorporated alcohol into his pre-show routine. He said he would exercise, shower, play guitar, listen to Bon Iver and drink several beers before performing, believing the routine helped ease his stage fright. He would then continue drinking after concerts, sometimes repeating the pattern before the next show.

Bryan said quitting alcohol has changed his experience of performing. Although he still feels nervous before going onstage, he described performances as more enjoyable once he begins playing. He also said his creativity has returned, explaining that he enjoys writing again and has felt a renewed sense of energy in his daily life.

“Quitting drinking has been really great,” Bryan said during the interview. He added that he now wakes up feeling ready to take part in everyday activities and has noticed changes in how his friends respond to him. According to the singer, friends have told him he is funnier since he stopped drinking.

The interview was released as Bryan introduced Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs, an eight-track EP featuring collaborations with Lana Del Rey on “Lies” and Turnpike Troubadours on “Plainsman.” Other songs include “Robot Killed the Working Man,” “Backwards” and “You’ll Get By.” The project arrived through Warner Records on October 16 and follows his sixth studio album, With Heaven on Top, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in January 2026.

Bryan’s conversation with McConaughey also forms part of a broader release accompanying the new EP and his memoir of the same name. The book documents his life over the past decade, including his childhood, service in the U.S. Navy, rise in country music and experiences with fame. The interview provides further context for the personal experiences behind the new material, including the journey that led him to question his drinking and pursue sobriety.