DJ Drama has opened up about overcoming an opioid addiction that saw him spending nearly six figures per year on pills.
The Generation Now boss joined the Broken Record Podcast earlier this month where he delved into his past being addicted to opioids and his time in rehab during the 2020 pandemic when he found a therapist
In 2020, right when Covid hit, I went to rehab,” he said. “That was my first time in rehab in a facility trying to deal with my opioid addiction… I came out and stayed clean for some months and relapsed probably the end of 2020 so I went through all of 2021 on Percs.
“When I went to rehab, I found the therapist that was perfect for me. When I told her my life story as much as I could, I just remember her assessment of me was so on-point off the top and it was almost mind-boggling.
Drama estimated that he was spending about $5,000 to $6,000 per month on pills but knew he had to stop as he feared ending up like late music icons such as Michael Jackson or Prince.
“I was spending close to six figures a year on opioids,” Drama explained. “I was in a position where I could afford the type of habit of doing that. The average person can’t do that. The next step after opioids or not being able to afford consistent Percocets is heroin.
I used to tell [my therapist] Amy all the time, my biggest fear is ending up like Michael Jackson or Prince. Opioids is such a dangerous drug, because there’s no end in site. If it can take the lives of Michael Jackson or Prince, who the fuck am I? That was always my fear, death.
“I know how easy it is for it to become a problem. It’s scary. The scariest part and the most dangerous part is that it was a five-to-six thousand dollars a month habit I had.”
There was even a point when DJ Drama nearly overdosed which caused him to be temporarily hospitalized. “I had a situation where I literally almost overdosed. I was in Atlanta I was at home and taken to the hospital and put in a situation where they were gonna 1016 me,” he said.
“Which means they were gonna keep me for a certain amount of time. When they gave me the Narcan… I kept nodding off and it’s supposed to keep you awake.”
While on set filming You People, Drama had a heart-to-heart conversation with Jonah Hill about his addiction and knew it was time to stop popping pills.
The Gangsta Grillz pioneer isn’t the only member of the Generation Now family getting clean. Lil Uzi Vert revealed earlier this year he kicked his drug habit after spending seven months in a rehab facility last year.
I’m super proud of him and I’m sure that for him, being able to approach the music from that aspect was eye-opening and something different, something that a mature Uzi, who’s at a different stage in his life and his career, is able to accomplish,” Drama told XXL.
