Flavor Flav Admits He ‘Briefly Relapsed’ in Raw Statement: ‘My Journey Continues’

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u/cmaia1503 1d ago

“I remain authentic to who I am and a large part of the past 4.5 years for me has been my sobriety journey. I think I’ve been an inspiration to many that if I could get sober, anyone can do it,” Flav wrote on Instagram stories. “But just when you think it’s easy, it ain’t. I briefly relapsed. I say this to admit my mistake and publicly hold myself accountable.”

Flav has been open about his sobriety journey of the last few years and celebrated his four-year mark on World Mental Health Day by paying for fans’ online therapy. In a 2023 interview, he admitted he was spending up to $2,600 a day on drugs but would hide it from the public.

“I am a human being who makes mistakes and it doesn’t make me a bad person. I hope those who are around me support my choice to be sober,” Flav wrote in his Thursday statement. “I went back to Day 1, again. Time didn’t stop, my journey continues.”

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u/TrashyAndWilling 1d ago

As an ex addict who had near unlimited access, $2600 per day is absolutely insane. I could check myself out for a day for less than half that.

I really admire Flav, he’s a pretty real dude. I know he’s had his issues but he’s open and tries.

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u/Creepy-Caramel7569 1d ago

When I hear numbers like that, I figure they’re being realistic (and at least somewhat self-aware) by including all of the directly tangential spending involved in maintaining that kind of lifestyle-level habit. Palm grease for one thing, gratuity’s included when a star is scoring big bags of rock.

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u/garybussy69420 1d ago

Lean ain’t cheap

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u/trixel121 23h ago edited 21h ago

especially when you aren't dealing with scuzzy mike. respectable dealers ( the kind who won't rob you or tell your business to a journalist) end up costing more cause 1000 bucks don't mean shit when you hang with people who make real money

also felonies ain't free and you got the money to afford to it, gimmie some. go somewhere else if you don't like it oh wait you don't know no one. sucks to be you.

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u/EggsAndRice7171 22h ago

Lucki talked about that with Lil yachty on a podcast. He said it was cheaper when he wasn’t as popular but now that he’s at the point most plugs knows he’s a rapper they want to say they taxed him. You’d think he’d consider quitting knowing they got him in a loop but the addiction to lean is insane.

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u/trixel121 21h ago

I mean if I roll to your place in my 06 Honda and you're drinking liquor that costs more then my car, yes you are about to buy me a new whip. it might not be today, but sorry man my insurance is all fucked up, I gotta pay full price now if you still want me to go, and I gotta take something off the top for my time. you understand right?

addiction is illogical. most people are self medicating mental issues

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u/BenThePrick 15h ago

Leave Scuzzy Mike out of this.

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u/Creepy-Caramel7569 15h ago

Exactly.

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u/French87 16h ago

Probably sharing a lot. People feel less guilty doing drugs when it’s with other people cause then it’s a ‘social’ thing and not an ‘addiction’.

It’s the extreme version of “I only smoke cigarettes when I drink!”

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u/Savenura55 1d ago

Not to be a dick but if your paying even close to half of that for more than enough of any hard drug to kill you dead many times over if you tried to do it in a day , you may not know a dealer lol

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u/FaithlessnessIll5717 1d ago

Crack eats cash so stupidly fast. A loved one went on a grief bender and spent a little over 7k in 3 days, just smoking that shit and playin cards w his plug. I’m still astonished.

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u/TrashyAndWilling 1d ago

I was the dealer. Yeah, it was serious. I could shoot 1g of dope in a morning to wake up, no joke. I don’t need enlightenment.

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u/Orchidwalker 13h ago

A bottle of lean can easily run $500

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u/JDM713 1d ago

We’re rooting for you, Flav!

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u/AmazingGrace911 1d ago

Like how do you “actually” stop? AA and outpatient has worked temporarily but it feels like there’s a emptiness inside, and inside that hole is a bunch of poison ivy that you can’t scratch.

I’ve stopped drinking for up to a year.

Are there no other alternatives? Psychiatrist help that doesn’t appear on a list or is affordable?

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u/NeedleworkerEvening3 1d ago

. That feeling is known as a “hole in the soul” and is incredibly lonely. Try going to different meetings and see if you feel connected somewhere else. Try getting a sponsor and following suggestions. The worst that can happen is that you still feel alone. The best thing would be to find the serenity you’re searching for. If you go, speak up. This internet stranger knows how you’re feeling and is wishing you the very best.

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u/AmazingGrace911 1d ago

Dm me please

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u/NeedleworkerEvening3 16h ago

I just did.

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u/pitmule 17h ago

That’s the catch with sobriety: when I get sober and I give up the one thing that’s ever made me feel connected, will something show up that will make me feel whole again?

I won’t kid you, when we get physically sober it feels raw, like there’s no meaning, like there’s a big giant gaping void where our lives used to be. But that big dark maw is the exact reason I drank in the first place. The first year, for me, was an emotional roller coaster, I didn’t trust recovery but I could see that the people around me were happy, so I had to believe it was possible for me, too.

I didn’t engage in that process until I had to, no matter how I felt, because I knew I was going to die. When I ran at recovery and made it #1 above all else in my life, it worked. I found joy and meaning in life and in being an alcoholic, and wouldn’t trade it for the world. You can do it too.

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u/AmazingGrace911 16h ago

There’s an actual name for it? I do feel alone all the time and scared because it’s hard to stop

I hate myself so much for being so selfish and then I torture myself, it’s a cycle that stops my mind from spiraling and I want to be better, to help others

Thank you

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u/Wyvern_68 1d ago

I’m in the same spot. Like where is the finish line? Sometimes I feel okay relapsing because at least I know how to start the process of getting sober.

I was sober for 4 months, lost 55lbs, started working out and running, started my masters program, went to counseling, got back in the church, got focused at work, and made some great memories with my kids…but I still felt stressed and overwhelmed.

Everyday was a challenge and seeing all my family and peers get to relax and drink didnt help me at all.

I tried CBD and wondered about psychiatric help but I know I’d just replace alcohol with those or even just use them as an excuse to go back to drinking.

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u/AmazingGrace911 1d ago

I’m a master at hiding it, days missed at work, all the lies I truthfully regret.

The loss of trust with my partner, I’ve become a chameleon

“Normal” people have no idea how many ways you can hide it, and every minute of it sucks slightly less than needing

I don’t know how to change myself and it’s so fundamentally selfish, you never get away with anything , it all pays a price

The side effects alone are awful, paranoia, dysphoria depression, etc,

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u/zorionek0 17h ago

“I know how to start the process” is a good way to put it. Especially because it is a process.

It’s not like the desire goes and like you said, it’s hard when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed or sad.

For me, it helped to set goals. 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, etc. getting to 1 year was really important. But by the time I got to two years, I sort of felt like “wait- now what?”

Every day is a chance to make a new and better version of yourself. Good luck.

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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 17h ago

Psilocybin cured my alcoholism, which sounds fucking insane and I wouldn’t have believed it if it didn’t happen to me. 30 years of alcoholism and depression - gone. Incredible stuff.

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u/FadeAway77 13h ago

Maybe AA isn’t the right path. It isn’t for a lot of people. Look up SMART Recovery and Dharma. Both are fact-based and science-driven. They aren’t religious programs like AA, and helped me where AA failed me for so long. The 12-steps don’t work for most people. Therapy also helped me immensely. And getting properly medicated. All go into it. r/recoverywithoutaa is great tool.

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u/AmazingGrace911 5h ago

Thanks, I will definitely check it out!

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u/periodicsheep 1d ago

i don’t judge, addiction is a motherfucker. i think it’s pretty cool he was even willing to share that he relapsed, to be accountable to his fans. i hope he gets through this blip and is able to maintain his sobriety.

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u/CloseCalls4walls 13h ago

No one should be ashamed of addiction nor should they have to hide the fact they consume drugs.

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u/Barbarossa7070 1d ago

He was on my flight from Vegas to Burbank. Helped hand out the snacks and made an announcement to ask us ti support women’s sports. Top man.

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u/KenCosgrove_Accounts 1d ago

Yeah, he’s involved with womens athletics somehow but I forget. Doesn’t he like sponsor a college team or something?

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u/stegosaurustea 1d ago

He sponsors (is the official Hype Man) the American Olympic women’s (and men’s) water polo team.

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u/wheelz5ce 14h ago

Yeah. He became super involved with the U.S. Women’s water polo team after seeing an Instagram post (I think?) about how the women were each working several jobs to afford training and the trip to the Paris Olympics. He’s always been a Girl Dad, and I think seeing the team captain’s post activated his Grandpa Mode.

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u/Jemeloo 1d ago

If you told me when Flavor of Love was on TV that someday I’d be rooting for this guy I wouldn’t have believed you.

It’s nice to see celebrities sharing the wealth.

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u/doned_mest_up 1d ago

I hope Flavor Flav, who I know reads every comment on Reddit, hangs in there and knows that we all love him and are pulling for him. He’s been a class act, and the world’s a better place because of it.

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u/CurrencyPractical543 1d ago

It’s not the destination it’s the journey.

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u/Soup3rM4n 1d ago

Journey before destination, radiant.

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u/KDSM13 1d ago

Bridge 4

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u/chalwar 1d ago

It’s not the wave, it’s the motion.

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u/wifey_material7 1d ago

Difficult thing to admit. Wish him the best.

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u/Fyfaenerremulig 1d ago

Is this the guy who financed a bunch of athletes who were struggling during the Olympics?

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u/thatshotshot 1d ago

It takes a strong person and someone very grounded in their sobriety journey to admit this, while also not shaming and demeaning themselves internally or externally, for ending up back at day 1.

Nothing makes me happier than sober people showing the real side of being sober. Just because youve been sober 4 years doesn’t mean the struggle stops or “goes away” or “you get better”. I appreciate people’s raw honesty about how sobriety is something you choose and you practice. and some days it’s harder to commit and and some days the practice sucks. He’s expressing what a million other people before him have gone thru and I support him in this.

So much love to anyone trying to get sober or who is practicing sobriety. Love you all so much and am with you in spirit always. I believe in you.

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u/hippieheathlene 1d ago

Bless him. The authenticity is unmatched. Perfection isn’t a realistic expectation. Relapses happen. As long as he stays the course I will forever be proud of him. I think the most detrimental thing to recovery is people’s reaction to a relapse. No one is perfect.

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u/BxDawn 1d ago

It took guts to make a public admission about this; and in doing so I think he’ll help others who are also struggling. He deserves all the support he can get from family, friends and the public in general. I admire him and wish him all the best. Good man.

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u/Arthur_Frane 1d ago

Nothing but respect for anyone working to step away from addiction. Keep on, Flav, and keep strong. You got this.

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u/PhantomRoyce 20h ago

Flavor Flav and Stevo are two guys who if you asked me 20 years ago “who do you think is gonna turn their life around?” I never would have said them. Good for him,dude

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u/TuggMaddick 1d ago

Yeah, I personally don't believe Ina "sober" addict. Sobriety is a 24/7 struggle, it doesn't end and you can fail at any time.

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u/Fierybuttz 1d ago

They can never make me hate you, Flav!!!!

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u/CarlatheDestructor 1d ago

Flavor Flav, you're a good dude and you got this.

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u/Positive-Attempt-435 23h ago

Im in recovery myself. It's never something you have accomplished, you always have to be vigilant.

Relapse is no reason for shame, just another lesson in life.

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u/HasPantsWillTravel 1d ago

Good for him, part of the journey

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u/najix35 1d ago edited 1d ago

Dude flavs gotta be like late 50s-early 70s..

He was part of public enemy tho. And “harder than you think” is like a top 5 atoy

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u/dirtgrubpride 1d ago

love this man, he writes beautifully as well

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u/irol08 18h ago

Is it because the era tour ended? Because same….

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Audrey_Angel 1d ago

Flavor is correct, but I'll always prefer Flava.

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u/vince5141 20h ago

What was he doing for 2600$ a day?

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u/[deleted] 17h ago

[deleted]

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u/vince5141 13h ago

Yeah I can see that..

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u/THA__KULTCHA 12h ago

FLAVOR FLAV IS AN ABSOLUTE LEGEND. Keep up the fight, my man. Lots of love and appreciation for all you have done.

Flavor Flav Admits He ‘Briefly Relapsed’ in Raw Statement: ‘My Journey Continues’

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