French Montana says he 'would have made' Mac Miller stop using drugs: Why addiction isn't that simple
Rapper Mac Miller died of a drug overdose in September. Now, hip-hop artist French Montana says he could have stopped his friend from overdosing.
In a new BET Raq Rants interview, Montana says that Miller “was doing the same thing every other artist was doing out there.” He continued, “If you’ve seen the video that me and him did, I’m like, ‘Yo, bro, you’re overdoing it.’ But that was him way before. Sometimes if people don’t have people that keep them grounded, it can go left. I just feel like they let him get away with whatever he chooses to do.” (Montana appeared in the 2016 Mac Miller documentary Stopped Making Excuses, and Miller went on a 2012 episode of French Montana’s Coke Boys TV.)
“I feel like I have people that, if I do something like that, how I was to him like a big brother, like, ‘Bro, you’re bugging out.’ … He ain’t have that around him,” Montana said. “Because if I did it that night, if I was around him a couple more nights, I would have made him stop … but he didn’t have nobody that was doing that.”
It’s a nice sentiment, but addiction doesn’t really work that way, Kevin Gilliland, a clinical psychologist and executive director of Innovation360 Dallas, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “Substances are incredibly powerful and rewarding,” he says. “It’s not as simple as someone saying, ‘You need to stop.’”
Montana also spoke about the importance of keeping someone grounded. While “that is often a hugely important piece of helping someone fight addiction, it doesn’t always work,” Gilliland says. “One of the most powerful things I’ve seen for someone getting help for an addiction is having meaningful, significant relationships.” Experiencing legal troubles or health issues can also signify that someone needs to seek help, he says.
If someone you love is abusing drugs, it’s important to have an honest conversation about it and tell the person that you’re concerned. “They will get angry and defensive, but you have to talk to them,” Gilliland says. He recommends doing your research in advance on websites like drugabuse.gov to find out more about the risks your loved one is facing, as well as what withdrawal symptoms he or she might experience. Once you feel that you can have the conversation while keeping your emotions in check, Gilliland recommends telling your loved one that you’re concerned, what you feel the drugs are taking away from the person, and what you miss most about the person now versus before he or she starting abusing drugs.
After the initial conversation, follow up by urging the person to seek help. “If they agree to meet with someone, find a professional in your area or ask your primary care physician,” Gilliland says. Then, be there for your loved one during the recovery process.
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