Editing Social Distortion (section)

===''Mommy's Little Monster'', temporary hiatus and ''Prison Bound'' (1983–1988)===
After returning from the ''Another State of Mind'' tour in 1982, Social Distortion began work on their debut album, ''[[Mommy's Little Monster (album)|Mommy's Little Monster]]''. Recorded in December of 1982, the album was released in early 1983 on the band’s own label, [[13th Floor Records]]. ''Mommy's Little Monster'' includes the title track as well as the song for which the previous tour was named, "[[Another State of Mind (song)|Another State of Mind]]". This was the album that "gained the band a national name in punk circles".<ref name="history">{{Cite web|url=http://www.socialdistortion.com/history/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091019143622/http://www.socialdistortion.com/history/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 19, 2009|title=Social Distortion|date=October 19, 2009}}</ref>

Ness mentions in his DVD commentary that he really had nowhere to stay when he got back to California after the tour ended, so he crashed on the couches of whoever would have him. He details how he plunged headfirst into serious drug addiction and ended up being strung out on heroin for weeks at a time. In 1983, Liles and O'Brien left the band in the middle of a show on New Year's Eve, and were replaced soon thereafter by Ness' high school friend [[John Maurer (Social Distortion)|John Maurer]] and a man named Bob Stubbs. This line-up lasted only a short time until [[Christopher Reece]] joined on drums.<ref name="history" /> Ness's drug habit continued throughout 1984 and 1985 as the band continued to gain success with ''Another State of Mind'' appearing as one of the punk rarities on MTV, and touring in California and Arizona. As a result of Ness's escalating drug habit and troubles with the law, Social Distortion briefly went on hiatus in 1985. During this time, Ness was in and out of various rehabilitation centers and jails.

Social Distortion resurfaced in 1986, when Ness completed a [[drug rehabilitation]] program. The band released its second album, ''[[Prison Bound]]'', two years later in 1988—over five years after their debut. The album included John Maurer on bass and Christopher Reece on drums. Although ''Prison Bound'' never charted on [[Billboard magazine|''Billboard'']], the title track had received extensive airplay on the Los Angeles radio station, [[KROQ-FM]].

A notable style change takes place in ''Prison Bound'', which takes on a definite [[country music|country/western]] flavor and marks the start of the band's entrance into a rock subgenre sometimes called "[[cowpunk]]." Country legend [[Johnny Cash]] and the Rolling Stones' [[honky tonk]] style became more prominent influences on Social Distortion's music at this time. There are references to Cash and the Stones in the songs "Prison Bound" and "On My Nerves."

The multi-year gap between albums became a pattern for Social Distortion. Ness acknowledges in a 2003 interview that it ''is'' a little backward, marketing-wise, to play songs for the fans for a few years before recording them—but it has always worked well for them. "We know which songs are going to be fan favorites on the record before we even record them."<ref>Steininger, Alex. "Mike Ness on politics, new album, and touring," [http://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/63h08.html In Music We Trust]. Issue 63, November–December 2003. Accessed October 24, 2021.</ref>