Lead singer Jared Weeks and lead guitarist Jason Null began forming Saving Abel in the small town of Corinth, Mississippi in 2004. Weeks was learning to play the guitar at his best friend’s house and Null, who was in a competing rock band in the same town, walked in to rehearse. Null and Weeks hit it off, and a couple of days later the two were writing songs together. Early in 2005, their songs caught the ear of noted producer Skidd Mills (12 Stones, ZZ Top, Saliva, and Robert Cray), who brought the two into his 747 Studio in Memphis, Tennessee to record some of the songs.

Saving Abel gradually came together with the addition of rhythm guitarist Scott Bartlett, bassist Daniel Dwight, and drummer Blake Dixon. Weeks would throw Saving Abel demo CD's onto the stages of bigger bands that toured through Corinth. Weeks recalled of the time: "I used to work at a hospital. I’d have to be there at 4:30 in the morning drawing blood. I’d wake people up and stick a needle in their arm. I’d be walking around the hospital, singing ‘Addicted’ in my head, writing down the lyrics on patients’ clipboards and doctor script pads."

After shopping the album around for almost a year, and a member change as original bassist Daniel Dwight left the group for Memphis pop/rock band Ingram Hill, they picked up Bassist and long time friend Eric Taylor. With the change of bassist and band members set, the band's hard work and determination led to a copy of the song "Addicted" being heard by former Virgin A&R consultant Rick Smith. He e-mailed the song to the CEO of Virgin Music Company, Jason Flom. Mr. Flom immediately liked what he heard and sent A&R vet Kim Stephens (Collective Soul, Matchbox 20, Edwin McCain) to watch the band perform in Jackson, Tennessee. "Addicted" was released in March 2008 as a single.

Their eponymous major label debut Saving Abel was released on March 11, 2008. The CD featured the lead song "Addicted", which rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs charts. On January 15, 2009 the CD peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard 200. The album received the certification of Gold in the week of March 16, 2009, because of the lead single. Some controversy surrounded "Addicted" because of the sexual nature of the lyrics, which some radio stations refused to play over the air. However, there was another version of the song that Saving Abel had recorded, changing one of the lines from "going down on me" to "rolling around with me" that radio stations throughout the country would play.

In the summer of 2009, Saving Abel embarked on a tour with Canadian rock band Nickelback during their Dark Horse Tour, along with Hinder and Papa Roach, bringing the band through Live Nation outdoor amphitheaters. In April 2009, the band struck down allegations that there was a rivalry with fellow tour-mates Hinder.