Jelly Roll has had a whirlwind year, and the musical artist has completely changed his life from where he was several years ago. Now, the singer is opening up about his past struggles with drugs and how he changed his perspective on them.
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“I had to learn that you could drink alcohol without doing cocaine. It took me a long time to learn that,” he told People Magazine. “I’ve never said that, but that’s real. There was a long time where I just assumed, when people told me they drank without doing cocaine, I was like, I thought we only drank to do cocaine.”
Starting at age 14, Jelly Roll would wind up in and out of jail on 40 separate occasions. After learning of the birth of his daughter, the singer decided to change his life and become a positive influence instead. Jelly Roll never officially sought rehab for his drug addiction, but he learned to overcome it himself.
Instead, the singer used his platform to visit different rehab centers and juvenile centers across the country. In addition to singing songs, Jelly Roll also visited with people to encourage them as well.
“I always said that if I ever got in this situation, I would do everything I could to give back,” he said. “The fact that just me showing up places can make people happy is such a gift, and I feel like if God gave me that gift, I should show up.”
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Jelly Roll Takes a Look Inward
Jelly Roll said he’s re-examined his relationship with drugs and alcohol. He decided to step away from using drugs like cocaine, although he does still partake in alcohol and marijuana.
“I’ve never talked about this in interviews, but because I do drink and smoke weed, I will attend meetings occasionally. If I’m really struggling with thinking of my behavioral pattern, I’ll go to a meeting,” he shared. “I just, out of an abundance of respect for the people who really got off the drugs completely, and the alcohol and the weed, I don’t necessarily claim to be a part of the program, because I respect their work and I would never want to diminish it with some of my actions, but AA has done a lot for me.”
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[Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for iHeartRadio]
