Overview

• He recalls vowing to end his life if his debts topped €50,000, a threshold he says he never reached.
• Before his 2017 breakthrough, he describes mounting liabilities, a bailiff at his door, and an eight‑day jail stay in 2010 over an unpaid fine.
• He now publicly identifies as alcohol‑dependent and says his drinking intensified during the pandemic, at times stretching to a bottle of vodka over a day.
• He reports a 21‑day stay in a detox and rehab clinic in autumn 2024 with individual and group therapy.
• He says he has repaid his debts and continues recovery, acknowledging occasional drinking and ongoing difficulty controlling it, with his autobiography Kämpferherz slated for October 2.