Jelly Roll has opened up about his ongoing health journey, revealing he regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings.
The country star, whose real name is Jason DeFord, spoke candidly about his proactive approach to his health during an interview with The New York Times, published on Saturday, August 17.
Jelly Roll detailed how an unreleased song, “Winning Streak,” set to feature on the artist’s forthcoming album Beautifully Broken, was inspired by his experiences and learnings from AA meetings.
He told the outlet that he attends the meeting “for my demons” and that the track was written “from the perspective of a story I’d seen happen for real.”
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Jelly Roll, who has spoken in the past about his historical struggles with addiction and substance abuse, shared further detail into how AA meetings continue to help him.
“It was really hard for me to get away from those drugs,” the “Save Me” singer said. “Something I do [for] maintaining my relationship with those drugs is I will still attend the meetings, even though I’m not a textbook sober guy — but I never share, I just quietly sit and appreciate the message and the meaning.”
Jelly Roll, who is married to social media star and podcast host Bunnie XO, added that he still has “a cocktail every now and then” and he remains a “known weed smoker.” But he is committed to staying away from more harmful drugs.
“I got away from the drugs that I knew were gonna kill me,” Jelly Roll told the outlet before adding that he hadn’t previously spoken about attending AA meetings as he didn’t want to overshadow the work of the program, or the work of his fellow attendees.
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“I don’t tell people I go to meetings,” Jelly Roll explained. “It’s not a part of my story that I share because I have so much respect for the men and women in that program that get actually completely sober, that I never want my stuff to get in the way of them.”
In May, Jelly Roll revealed that using marijuana has helped him steer clear of harder drugs.
“I get in trouble for this, all the time, but my stance on marijuana will always be the same,” he said in an interview with Taste of Country that was published on May 24. “I believe marijuana has helped me in so many regards, with my anxiety. This is a hot-button topic, but, truly, marijuana has kept me sober.”
Jelly Roll continued at the time, “I think a world without weed, Jelly Roll’s drinking codeine and popping Xanax and snorting cocaine again. But a world with weed, I’ll be alright.”
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Before skyrocketing to fame within the country music world, Jelly Roll was incarcerated for drug dealing. While behind bars, he learned he had become a father to daughter Bailee Ann, now 16.
After learning about his little girl, Jelly Roll put in the work to get on the right path. He got his GED and was released by the time Bailee turned 2.
Since then, Jelly Roll has advocated to help others stay away from deadly drugs. In January, the artist spoke in front of the U.S. Senate to voice his support for the bipartisan Fend Off Fentanyl Act.
“I was a part of the problem. I am here now standing as a man that wants to be a part of the solution,” he said during his speech. “I brought my community down. I hurt people. I was the uneducated man in the kitchen playing chemist with drugs I knew absolutely nothing about, just like these drug dealers are doing right now when they’re mixing every drug on the market with fentanyl and they’re killing the people we love.”
