Jelly Roll does not shy away from tough realities. The country music star has always been transparent about his past substance abuse issues, now revealing that he first attended AA and Narcotics Anonymous meetings as far back as 14 years old.
“I don’t fully remember my first real meeting ‘cause I was court-ordered at like 14,” Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, told Ania Hammar during a recent episode of Sirius XM’s The Highway. “I don’t remember it as much as I should.” The “I Am Not Okay” singer, now 39, explained that his current hit song was partially inspired by these experiences.
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“But, I definitely remember the first time that I found solace in those rooms, or the first time that I kind of got introduced to the concept of this,” Jelly Roll said. “And how much stuff I’ve taken from them rooms.” He went on to add that he’s “never been more inspired” than when “leaving an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting or a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.”
“I think everybody should experience one if you’ve never drank in your life,” Jelly Roll continued. “I still think that there is something from it that is, you know, the good ones are like good theater. They’ll make you listen, you’ll learn, you’ll laugh and you’ll cry.”
Jelly Roll previously opened up about his past substance abuse issues, saying that he tries to “stay away from drugs” after reconsidering his relationship with cocaine. “I had to learn that you could drink alcohol without doing cocaine. It took me a long time to learn that,” he recently told PEOPLE.
“I’ve never said that, but that’s real,” the “Son of a Sinner” singer added. “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.”
As a younger man, Jelly Roll was in and out of jail for various crimes, including drug-related charges. These days, he’s a rapper-turned-award-winning country singer who chooses to give back by visiting prisons and juvenile detention centers to perform and “do a little encouraging” for the inmates.
“I always said that if I ever got in this situation, I would do everything I could to give back,” he explained. “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.”
