Jelly Roll Makes Eye-Opening Confession About Battle With Addiction

Jelly Roll

Jelly Roll shed new light on his struggle with addiction, admitting that even though he's found a way to make peace, his past "still haunts him."

The "Save Me" singer, who has previously opened up about his narcotics use, revealed that he had to "re-look" at his relationship with alcohol after overcoming addiction.

"I had to learn that you could drink alcohol without doing cocaine. It took me a long time to learn that," he told People in an interview published earlier this week. "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."

"I thought [drinking] was to make us not feel like drug addicts. Nobody wants to snort cocaine sober, then you're a drug addict. But I had to re-look at my relationship with alcohol like that," he explained.

"I never really had a problem with alcohol, so I'll still have a cocktail, but very, especially this year, very seldomly," he continued, "Like, special night kind of stuff, like the night of the CMAs, of course we partied. But I just try to stay away from drugs."

Despite not having a "problem" with alcohol, the 39-year-old admitted that attending the occasional Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting has "done a lot" for him. That said, he doesn't claim to be part of the program out of respect for those who don't touch alcohol or marijuana at all.

"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 — 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."

Though he's never been admitted to rehab, he's visited various locations as well as jails and juvenile detention centers for surprise performances and to "do a little encouraging." As the outlet reported, the Grammy nominee has been to jail some 40 times for various drug charges, and the very first time he was arrested, he was only 14.

"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."

Becoming a father to daughter Bailee and son Noah has also helped him make "peace" with his past, as when he welcomed his daughter with wife Bunnie XO, he was actually serving time for drug dealing–a moment he's previously described as enlightening and inspiring him to "no longer be selfish."

“I've made a lot of peace with my past. I mean, it still haunts me like the ghosts I know, but I tell you what, I don't think about doing no drugs today," he told People. "As far as today goes, I don't know about tomorrow, but I can tell you, today, right now, I'm happy."

Next: Jelly Roll Moves Viewers to Tears With Inspiring Acceptance Speech