Lil Xan has opened up about his battle with drug abuse after he announced his sobriety from “all prescription pills” last July.
In a candid interview with 60 Minutes, the rapper – real name Nicholas Diego Leanos – detailed how he became hooked on Xanax after being prescribed it by a doctor to treat “intense anxiety”.
“It’ll jump out at the weirdest points in life,” Xan explained. “I can do a show for thousands of people and I won’t have a drop of anxiety. But the minute I’m in a closed environment, it could just be the most random thing will just set me off.”
Speaking of his increasing dependency on the drug, he explained: “I was probably taking…12 two milligrams to 14 two milligrams a day.
“I was really bad. It was really bad… I was taking enough benzos to take down an elephant.”
He soon attempted to quit the prescription drugs cold turkey, which lead to the Soundcloud rapper being hospitalised.
“I looked in the mirror and I’m like—it was just that moment you know, like, if I keep doing this, I’m gonna die soon,” the 24-year-old said.
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“So I just quit, cold turkey. And I actually ended up having a few seizures. And I landed in the hospital.”
And while his rap moniker suggests otherwise, Lil Xan is determined to use his platform to educate fans about the horrors of drug abuse.
“I get that my name, in itself, is popularizing [drug use],” he said. “I always made that known that I didn’t like that my name was popularising it. But it’s what worked for me.”
In July 2020, Xan spoke openly about the health scare via Instagram.
“About 2 months ago I suffered from multiple seizures,” he said at the time.
“This was my second time in the last year I’ve been hospitalised for having seizures. I decided it was best for me, my friend’s, family and supporters that I quit all prescriptions pills,” he shared.
“The doctor’s wanted me to wean off the pills but I went cold turkey and although it has been the toughest time in my life I’m happy to say that I’ve been sober from all prescription pills since the scare,” he continued.
“This is the first time in along time that I have felt alive. I will continue my journey towards becoming a better me. I want to be an example for everyone that it’s never too late to get your life back on track and you are not alone on this journey.”
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Check out ‘Betrayed’ by Lil Xan:
