The latest Drunk In Public trek starts off at the Civic Center in Canton, Ohio, January 13th and includes stops in Grand Rapids, Mich., Cleveland, Phoenix, Tulsa, Okla., San Francisco and Lincoln, Neb., before wrapping at the Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte, N.C., April 29th.

White has certainly carved his own niche since his days on The Blue Collar Comedy Tour with pals Jeff Foxworthy, Larry The Cable Guy and Bill Engvall, but it didn’t all start there.

In an interview with Pollstar, the comic nicknamed “Tater Salad” said his observations about life woven into his act actually came about when he was working a day job.

“I was in a drug abuse program in my early 20s and I went to work for them as a counselor,” he said. “I would go around to high schools and churches, to anyone who would listen, and tell my life story three or four times a day. Then it go to where some of the schools were complaining the drug addiction talk was getting kind of funny.

“My position was, ‘At least they’re listening.'”