Sinner’s Creed (Tyndale, $24.99) is an extremely personal look into Scott Stapp’s life and spiral into drugs. In the memoir, the Creed rocker remembers how he plummeted from the penthouse of the Delano Hotel in 2004 and knowing he would have to turn his life around or he would die. We talked to the Arms Wide Open singer, who lives in Boca Raton with his wife, children’s book author Jaclyn Stapp, and their three kids.

The book opens with the accident at the Delano. Why start there?

Falling from the balcony was a pivotal point in my journey and escaping from painful past situations. When I was face to face with death, it really brought me around full-circle and forced me to dissect my life and the choices I had made. When the doctors told me there was no medical explanation for why I was still alive after surviving a forty-foot fall, I had to reexamine why I was here and for what reason. I’m starting to learn that now one day at a time.

Was it hard to dig up your past?

What I realized during the process of writing my story, my experiences, and pain…all of it had a purpose. And I had to tell it because I know so many other people out there have the same struggle. Everything I had been through as a child to adult, the decisions I made whether good or bad, the choices I made…there was always a reason behind it. And I hope this book inspires anyone who has or is struggling with depression , or substance abuse to identify with my story.

What do you most hope people will pull from this?

That we are all sinners, we all make mistakes – sometimes self-destructive ones - but that doesn’t mean we can’t start fresh again and learn to forgive ourselves and other people who have affected our lives. I haven’t always made the right choices, but that’s part of the learning curve in life. We all deserve another chance.

What part was the most difficult to write?

My childhood. I really had to go back and relive much of what happened to me in order to write it honestly which was difficult and today still affects me. I think my wife Jaclyn also realized why I have reacted to specific things in a certain way. I think readers will be surprised to read about my childhood. It’s not your typical “coming of age” story.

In terms of music, what is next for Creed?

I just finished 2 U.S. tours. Now we are embarking on an international tour in Indonesia and South America. We are thrilled to be back overseas with our fans. I’ve been inspired by looking back at my journey in writing, so I’ve written a new song, Sinner’s Creed: Pray for Sunrise, which is about survival.