Four years after singer Sean McCann got sober and launched a solo career, the former Great Big Sea member is releasing a new album and reflecting on how he overcame addiction.

The new record, "You Know I Love You," features McCann's lyrics set to strumming guitar. It is accompanied by a colourfully illustrated book of lyrics to help the audience sing along at his concerts.

McCann calls the album a "labour of love," and said it is the product of overcoming years of struggle, abuse, and addiction.

"I think where I am now in my life is a much happier place, and I've dealt with some things in my past and I think that's important," McCann told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday.

McCann was a member of Great Big Sea for more than twenty years. But, while he continues to love the band and its members, he said it was, ultimately, "an unhealthy place" for him.

McCann struggled with alcohol addiction while a part of Great Big Sea, and he said he used drinking as a way to mute memories of childhood abuse.

The singer-songwriter said he was left emotionally scarred after a priest abused him while he was growing up. He turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism, but the habit grew out of control.

"You know, Great Big Sea was a great place to hide. It was a party band and an excellent one at that," he said.

Eventually, it was McCann's wife, Andrea, who he said helped pull him out addiction. The singer says she gave him an "ultimatum," and he knew he had to quit.

"There's usually a trigger that makes you want to stop and I was on the road to ruin," he said. "We hit the wall. I was going to die. And it's because of her (Andrea) and her support that I still have my family."

Getting sober wasn't an easy process, however.

Once McCann gave up drinking, he said he was forced to confront his past.

"The pain had to be faced and my abuse as a child, by a priest, a trusted person," he said. "I had deeply buried that pain for 30 odd years with booze, and I had to face that."

McCann emerged from substance abuse with his 2014 solo album "Help Yourself," which is described on his website as "the sound of a man facing his demons."

A year later, his latest album is the musical expression of a man who overcame his past.

"These songs are me, four years after facing that, and I think it proves that if you do the work … you can come out a stronger person and an authentic person and a happier person," McCann said.

On his website, "You Know I Love You" is described as "a happy collection of songs sung by a man intent on sharing his joy."

"My heart is lighter," McCann said. "I feel like I've found who I am because I'm not hiding behind something else."