There's only one thing in Keith Urban's life that rivals his love for his wife Nicole Kidman, but he says he gave it all up to save their marriage.

The country singer told The Sun that since marrying Kidman 16 years ago, he's ditched the rock and roll lifestyle and is more or less totally sober these days. “I still make the odd mistake, but not anything like I did in the past—and these days I see them coming before everything implodes,” he explained. “Work-life balance is never really achieved, it is maintained. It can easily go out of whack. I’ve learned a lot about how to correct them. Umpteen years ago I never corrected things until it was too late, but now I see it starting to go out and I’m much better at catching it before things implode.” Urban has been to rehab a handful of times over the course of his career before making his last trip to the Betty Ford clinic in 2006, just a few months before he married Kidman.

The musician went on to say, “I guess I used to do a thing where I’d work out the ramifications of whatever I did and then decide whether it was worth it—and most of the time I decided it was going to be despite the problems it would cause.” He continued, “I’d go, ‘I know this is going to cause this issue, but it will be bloody fun. Nighttime me hates daytime me, it’s so true. But the next morning nighttime me is nowhere to be found—he’s totally unaccountable. So these days I don’t do anything religiously to live healthier—I just do what I have to so that I can live the life I want to live. Nothing more, nothing less. I want to be able to play for hours on stage effortlessly, and still feel good the next day.”

Urban also hopes that he's leading by example for their two little girls, 13-year-old Sunday and 11-year-old Faith, showing them how to navigate life in the spotlight, whether they ultimately choose to follow in their parents' footsteps or not. He said, “Life is very different nowadays. I’m trying to set a good example for the kids, but I still don’t know if I’m getting it right. I have made so many mistakes, but you have to work out what works for you. My message to them is always to do whatever they are passionate about, I don’t care, as long as they work hard to achieve it." Urban added, “Both Nic and I worked really hard. For me, it was like paying dues twice. I worked my way up through the clubs in Australia to get a record deal, and then moved to the US and had to start all over again from the bottom. Luckily things worked out a second time. I did other jobs along the way. I worked in a warehouse renting out lighting equipment to other bands, but I just wanted to play. I wasn’t any good at anything else.”