In an interview with Billboard, Juice WRLD explained that he first tried drugs, as a means of mental and emotional escape, as a sixth-grader, learning about an intoxicating narcotic concoction called lean from the music of Future. "My father wasn't in the picture like that. So listening to this grown-a** man rap about lean, I'm like, 'Well, that sounds really appealing.'"
Lean, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, mixes soda with a narcotic, prescription cough syrup in which the active ingredient is codeine and/or promethazine. Juice WRLD called his frequent use a "horrible habit" when speaking with Billboard, while his former partner, Alexia Smith, told the Daily Mail that the rapper would ingest up to three painkiller pills at once.
Juice WRLD's drug use alarmed his inner circle. His co-manager, Peter Jideonwo, told GQ that in efforts to seek treatment for the rapper's addiction, the team had doctors examine Juice WRLD anywhere from 20 to 30 times. Friend and recording engineer Max Lord shared that before the rapper's death, associates staged an intervention. "I and a couple other people had come to him in tears, like, 'We're worried about you, and we're scared we're going to lose you if you keep up these habits,'" Lord added. Juice WRLD agreed to check himself into a treatment facility, with an entry date of December 22, 2019. "That was the soonest they were available to get him in," Lord said.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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