Living like a rock star is not all it’s cracked up to be.
That’s the message from Australian rapper 360, who has taken to Instagram to share his decade-long struggle with drug and alcohol addiction.
In a lengthy video posted to his account, the 34-year-old detailed his ongoing battle with ‘demons’ inside his head after getting hooked on opioids and benzodiazepines, among other things, early on in his music career.
Speaking his truth: Australian rapper 360 (pictured) has detailed his ongoing addiction with drugs and alcohol. In a lengthy video posted to Instagram, he detailed his ongoing battle with ‘demons’ inside his head after he got hooked on opioids and benzos, among other things
‘I romanticised being a rock star. I looked up to people like Anthony Kiedis. I read that book and in my mind I romanticised being a heroin addict,’ 360, whose real name is Matt Colwell, explained.
‘I wanted to be a rock star and it’s quite sad to think back on now. I lived it, completely.
‘There’s nothing more dangerous than an addict with a lot of money, and that’s what happened.’
The hip hop artist, who admits addiction runs in his family, said his habit spiralled out of control after partying with friends and not being able to say ‘no’.
‘I romanticised being a rock star. I looked up to people like Anthony Kiedis. I read that book and in my mind I romanticised being a heroin addict,’ 360 explained. ‘I wanted to be a rock star and it’s quite sad to think back on now – I lived it, completely’
‘It progressed over the years,’ Colwell said. ‘I was partying with a lot of my friends and a lot of my friends went super hard with me and we had a great time.
‘But they were able to say, “I’ve had enough. I’ve done this for so long now, I’m going to stop.” Whereas for me it was like “ok” and I’d go onto the next group of friends that were down to do it and kept doing that for f**king years. Probably a decade.’
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As a result of his debauchery, Colwell’s ‘demons’ evolved.
Where it all begun: The hip hop artist, who admits that addiction runs in his family, said his habit spiralled out of control after partying with friends and not being able to say ‘no’
‘It’s like all these voices in your head just telling you to do it, and depending on where you are on the spectrum of addiction you can’t say “no”,’ he said.
‘It’s extremely brutal and you need to do a lot of work on yourself – getting your soul right and getting your head right.
‘Exercise is a good thing, because the stronger you get without those voices the easier it is to say “no”.’
‘It’s like all these voices in your head just telling you to do it, and depending on where you are on the spectrum of addiction you can’t say “no”,’ he said. ‘It’s extremely brutal and you need to do a lot of work on yourself – getting your soul right and getting your head right’
Colwell admitted to still struggling and hoped his video would shed some light on addiction or bring hope to others battling their own demons.
‘I can just be driving and bang, that voice will pop into my head and I automatically make that decision that I’m doing it,’ he said. ‘I don’t contemplate thinking it through. I never contemplate picking up the phone and talking to someone.
‘I’ve never been able to do that. it’s something I’ve always battled with myself.’
Helping others: Colwell admitted to still struggling and hoped his video would shed some light on addiction or bring hope to others battling their own demons
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