Alanis Morissette discusses postpartum depression and the ‘absolute torture’ of addiction

Alanis Morissette detailed her experience with postpartum depression and addiction as she spoke about returning to music with her new single Reasons I Drink.

The singer, 45, made an appearance on Wednesday’s edition of This Morning, and she spoke candidly about how her new song is about a ‘merciful empathetic way of viewing addiction’, whilst sharing some of her own struggles.

Alanis’ new song is from her upcoming album Such Pretty Forks in the Road, her first release in eight years, and she said of the track: ‘Yes, not while pregnant, FYI, it’s really a merciful empathetic way of viewing addiction.

‘For so long people who are embroiled in an addiction, they get such a bad rap and there is judgement and cruelty, really. When we are reaching out, people processes things, addiction, dopamine’s, serotonin, we want relief from something.’

When probed to talk about her own experiences with addiction, she admitted: ‘Of course, work addiction is my primary addiction, business… food addiction was one, love addiction was a big one for years.’

Discussing her love life briefly, she added ‘relationships repeating themselves as absolute torture’ was another.

The You Oughta Know singer is marking the 25th anniversary of her iconic album Jagged Little Pill with a world tour this year and she is performing a very special intimate and acoustic show at London’s O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on Wednesday night to celebrate the iconic LP.

Alanis went on to detail her battle with postpartum depression following the births of all of her three children, and she admitted that ‘medication saved the day.’

The Ironic hitmaker explained that after her youngest son Winter was born last August her postpartum symptoms manifested as anxiety attacks.

Alanis – whose other children with rapper husband Mario Treadway are Ever Imre, nine, and three-year-old Onyx Solace – shared: ‘This whole record there are postpartum chapters in there. After all three of my pregnancies, I’ve had postpartum activity as I call it.

‘The first two were a little more depression-orientated and this one is more anxiety. Medication has saved the day for me.’

Alanis added that she wouldn’t be able to do long tours without bringing her kids with her on the Jagged Little Pill 25th anniversary world tour, because it’s impossible for her to be away from them for long periods.

The All I Really Want songstress described their touring family lifestyle as a ‘nomadic circus’ and insisted her kids are ‘really happy’ to be with their parent on the road. 

She explained: ‘Yeah, archetypically I was born to be a mom. ‘So there would be no way for me to tour for a year-and-a-half, which is what it looks like it will be, without them. 

‘It’s sort of a nomadic circus attachment, village community thing. My daughter will run down the hall in the hotel and every door will open and she will know ever single person. For them, they are really happy.’ 

When she is in the studio, the singer revealed that her son Ever often comes in while she is working, and that she has had to ‘adapt’ to make her career work around her children. 

She said: ‘I’ve written songs where there is a knock at my door and my son comes in and puts his hand on my shoulder while I’m writing. ‘So I’ve had to adapt to integrating it all.’