Travis Barker Talks Scott Weiland and Effects of Addiction

Blink-182‘s Travis Barker has dealt with addiction in his own life and offered a few words on the disease while discussing the late Scott Weiland.

“I think it’s just ultimately what drugs do when they get the best of somebody,” the drummer told Billboard. “It’s sad. Myself, I was addicted to drugs for a long time and the only way I was able to stop doing drugs was being in a plane crash and having morphine for four months when I didn’t want it. That’s what it took for me to get sober.”

Barker and late friend Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein both survived the 2008 jet crash, which left four people dead. As the crash caused Barker to end his drug usage, it ended up taking the life of DJ AM a year later when he was found dead of an accidental drug overdose in his apartment. His prescription to Xanax following the crash had reportedly caused a drug relapse after being clean for over a decade.

“Whatever you’re masking when you’re doing drugs gets more severe the more you mask it,” Barker continued. Every day you’re doing it more and more and you’re never facing what you’re running from — whatever that is.”

Barker had met Weiland through rock supergroup Camp Freddy and was a huge fan of the singer’s output. “He’s great. Oh my gosh, his contributions to music were amazing,” he revealed. “I saw video of him recently. He sounded great, and he looked fine, but you never know what demons anyone is fighting.”

While police reports revealed that cocaine and a variety of prescription drugs were found on his tour bus, an official cause of death has yet to be released. Weiland publicly struggled with severe addiction throughout his career.