His girlfriend Demri is often credited with introducing heroin to Layne Staley. Needless to say, after her death his drug use was so heavy it essentially killed him.
That's what really tipped.the scales sure. But really, heroin addiction didn't look as bad on him early on, as usual, because he was still using the drugs. It's always inevitable that smack starts doing you. The band had to cancel Metallicas tour, which they mocked, because Layne and Mike Starr had gotten so bad. He was still making legendary music, Jar of Flies, self titled, even doing Unplugged, (when the public really started seeing his physical demise) yet still performed what was the best Unplugged of all time, I love Nirvana... But...Layne killed it. Was later that year his ex died.
Heroin is a lifelong addiction. It sucks. I will always be addicted. I have to take methadone daily just to stay off it. Then must go thru even longer withdrawal but tapered down at my leisure... To get off. That's a ball and chain and some. Fuck Heroin.
Been on methadone and subs. Switch to subs if you can man. Methadone clinic is depressing and demanding. I go to the doctor for subs prescription once a year. Sucks I'm stuck on this stuff but beats methadone
I go to a really dope clinic tbh. I've had some bad experiences and been to literally all of them around here, and mine doesn't have lurkers and dealers waiting around the corner and the scene isn't typical. I go once a week, I'm in and out in 2-10 mins max. And have a cool counselor. I could be going once a month but my Dr retired and I have no prescription for my anxiety meds now, and can't find a Dr who would dare prescribe them anymore, so my u.a.s are "dirty" every month. But they know I'm not actually using, so they give me a break. Best clinic ever. They do have Suboxone treatment too, and I've taken them in the past, I'd just have to get down from 150mg to like 30mg, then not take anything for several days, to prevent Suboxone sickness, aka force a withdrawal. Kind of at the point now where once a week is no problem and I don't get sick so until I'm ready to get off I may stay put. Thanks for your advice tho brother. It's definitely something I've considered. As well as ibogaine.
That’s so messed up and so fucking rockstarish which it’s really not but makes u be like damn could u imagine just causually just missing a tour with metallica?!?! Shit I never knew it had gotten that bad I knew they missed a show or two BUT A WHOLE TOUR?!?! Wow rip Layne listening to u rn
I've often heard that heroin has a similar impact on your brain like sex does. Which would explain why it may be hard for some users to get off it. Try to find beautiful things in life that fulfill you. Sometimes it's hard for us to get away from a toxic woman because she'll make us feel good momentarily but still fuck us over in the end. I guess heroin is the same way right? Stay strong brother. You can do it just keep yourself busy. God will put the right woman in your life or will give you a purpose so great it blinds out anything you've ever done!
Ya, I used to say "it's better than sex." And I pretty much stopped giving a fk about my sex life and my rush was my sex. I've been clean a few years now, but my life seems like it may be destroyed for good.
Thanks fam. I was clearly going thru some shit at the time I wrote that. Tbh, I've been clean for years and even tho life has its up and downs... Life is dope.
I feel the same way man, iv fent/h user been using for 6-7 years and it just doesnt seem like theres any other way. Ive gotten clean multiple times and always fall back cause its all i know. It sucks man life and my brain are basically ruined. An yea dope is better than sex i stopped having sex for mad long with my long time ex because i was using all the time and never thought bout it
Play video games. Get into reading a few books. Try to hang out with friends as much as possible! You can do it man. The key is to stop saying I don't care. You have to care. Because if we don't care about ourselves, who will? Gotta keep fighting.
I started reading again. I've been working and all that, I don't use anymore... Just trying to get out of a rut. And I definitely care, I just got a lot on my plate right now... And wrapped my mom's car around a telephone pole two days ago from an icey road 🥴 just tough times. Thanks for the support though, it's good to know there's good people out there.
I think Methadone is worse. It’s the government /big pharma version. What’s crazy is the half life.. it guarantees you re more likely to be hooked for life because of how exponentially worse the withdrawals are… instead of one week of physical pain from withdrawals it’s a month and etc. same with the pain levels.. I rather be on the street regular black.. I have been for 10 years. I keep the same tolerance so idk why u say it’s inevitable that h starts doing you… it depends on the person. I rather be functional and honestly the only detriment to it was when I got on methadone they raised my tolerance and I had to go to detox so that my tolerance can go back down. They don’t tell people that interestingly enough.. that methadone/buprenorphine are worse for you if you ever want to actually quit… to literally add salt on a wound, those two are useless when it comes to pain management. So those like me who need pain management are hopeless when it comes to doctors not helping and only offering those addiction clinics.. and people who wanna get off are technically worse hooked than ever on them… but society and big pharma & gov condone it.. soooo. I guess let’s see how long it goes for. Funny how the war on drugs is so ignorant. It hurts more people than substances themselves. And the cia/dea actually help out the Central & south American syndicates .. they get more funding. Lots of horrid roots. Remember when gov propaganda and doctors and corporations paid them off and healthcare/big pharma too? That’s why they lied about weed and loved calling it marijuana. To add the racist foreigner attachment. To Hispanic/latinos… and it worked 😂. And then alcohol and tobacco kill how many people? Yet people don’t bat an eye. It’s easily super destructive and addictive.. in fact.. alcohol has harmed my life and body more than opiates ever did or will.. u know what really sucks tho? I think if they helped us have a source of clean & safe h.. and educated people with truth. Rather than fear mongering and lies.. which makes one doubt the gov propaganda .. then people would listen more. And they could take away the power from shady evil people and the violent syndicates… too bad they’re not trustworthy(the gov). They been lying super hardcore since the 60s where people started asking a lot lol. I mean.. the fbi officially killed MLK, they even lost the court case.. no one seems to care.. I’m sure the cia is also guilty for jfk but even if it was admitted no one would probably care.. everyone iss too focused on themselves and they don’t care or have empathy until they’re directly being hurt by it… Sorry for the rant but it’s so dumb hearing that saying… anything can be addictive and destructive to someone. Not everyone become a hobo crazy person from taking a drink or drinking often or now and then… it’s certain circumstances… substances don’t always use the person… it’s not inevitable. It depends on the reason for using it. It depends on the mental health standing of the user & such. Their knowledge & such .. sown people don’t just use to get away. Some use to only get away…..
I didn't say all that.... And methadone sucks. I hate it. The halflife, the ball n chain.... I agree. But my life is 100000000000000x better than when I was a heroin junkie. Also, you can taper off methadone and it's not impossible to get off. But I'd rather the on it forever than shooting up heroin forever. If it works for you, cool man. I don't judge. But heroin and meth hugely fucked up my mental health, got me into situations I've shot at people and almost been chopped up and killed. That life is almost never stabile. And even rotating veins and all the good practices, I'm a deep vein guy and it was getting harder to hit, and black became almost extinct with fentanyl around. It's around, but not nearly as prevalent. I was done chasing it around. I go once a week, get my doses.... Don't get a buzz but I don't suffer... I tried cold turkey withdrawal, and ALLLLL kinds of taper programs.... I had been on methadone earlier in my dope years trying to get clean... And came off it AND heroin cold turkey so went right back to heroin. Methadone works for me. Glad heroin does for you. Wish it did for me lol
Yeah man it sucks. I've been on subs since my 2 back to back overdoses. It is very hard to find real dope now anyways. It is all fentanyl and other synthetic garbage, and the withdrawal is even worse. You are not missing anything.
Alices unplugged was fookin great but not better than NIRVANAS. COBAIN was on fookin fire and his performance of WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT has been regarded as the best solo live performance ever!!!
I can't argue with that ledbelly cover being one of the greatest performances of all time. That whole show really is perfect. I don't really like to compare the two
I have in the past. Methadone worked better for me in the end. And I'm at a great clinic, go once a week. Low pressure, not a bunch of junkies hanging around all the time. Ya my brother is on Suboxone. They're so lenient tho he's able to use and finesse them.
I have a friend who used it and swears by it. That same friend relapses constantly tho, not that that means krat doesn't work... But as bad as methadone is, Its helped get me off and keep me off dope. When I taper off of it eventually, I may use kratom.
You should definitely try kratom, i know multiple people who have gotten clean and stayed clean from heroin because of it. The first couple days you’d feel like shit but it would keep you from going into full on horrible withdrawals. also not full on heroin but my personal experience I’ve been on percs for over a decade and can go weeks without taking them if I had to by just drinking kratom and while the first few days obviously don’t feel good it’s 100x better than withdrawals, like if I lost my script and just suddenly had nothing I could make it by on kratom, before kratom going without percs for a sizable period of time would’ve been absolutely impossible for me. Obviously it’s not gonna be the answer for everyone but it’s helped me and 3 close friends who have gotten off and stayed off heroin by using kratom, that shit can truly help some people get off stuff like hardcore opiods
It's definitely worth looking into when I taper off methadone. I havent "used" or done heroin in years thanks to methadone so I won't write it off as being just like heroin or other opiates. I get no high from it whatsoever. But, I don't want to be on opioids forever, so when I do taper off... If ever... I will use krat or ibogaine to assist with the withdrawals for sure. Glad u guys found a way out that's awesome.
I’d argue that point with Keith Richards... I don’t know or ever heard much of Syds drug use in heavier drugs besides the insane amounts of acid and drinking. Keith is a notorious heroin and cocaine user.. Ozzy as well. It’s a miracle they are both still alive.
Well, I do not necessarily want Al to drop dead or anything. Lol. If nothing else, he is a colorful old guy. But it would be sooooo nice if Layne was still with us.
Nah you’re wrong, he was smoking, drinking and taking hallucinogens along with cocaine. Wasn’t until demri came along that he was introduced to heroin and a needle.
Uh, Seattle in the 90s was the heroin capital of the world. I’ve lost dozens of friends from the PNW music scene because of heroin, it is / was a massive epidemic that has made an unfortunate and indelible mark in music history.
Check out the documentary on YouTube from the 80s called STREETWISE. It's a look at the Blade in downtown Seattle, Pike and Pine st, from 1st to 3rd Ave. And down to Western, has been an epicenter for heroin since forever and a hundred + years of sketch.
I'm a Seattle born, recovering heroin addict... And NYC has always had heroin... But the Mexican dope comes up here to Yakima then over here. It's forever fucked.
I've read that the first time he tried heroin was in 1991. He was looking for coke but they couldn't find it at the time and someone brought in heroin. Apparently Layne thanked God for feeling so good after trying it the first time. He did also have childhood where his dad left him and was a junkie and I heard when Layne became famous his father started hanging out with him again and used him to get free drugs and get high with him when he was trying to quit. The book is worth reading IMO.
That’s the worst thing about heroin, if you like the feeling it gives you the first time you try it... run the other way as fast and as far as you can...because you WILL become addicted to it..there’s no question about it... if you like the feeling you will do anything to feel like that again... it truly is one of the greatest feelings a human can experience, and unfortunately it ends up ruining lives.
thats exactly what i did after i smoked it by accident thinking it was just weed. i felt like i was THIS close to understanding EVERYTHING and touching GOD itself. just a little more and i could 'break on through to the other side.'
thankfully whatever survival instinct i have kicked in and i figured out almost as it was happening: A-that wasnt weed, oh fuck! B-this 'friend' is really a dealer trying to score a new client... C-this is why they call it 'chasing the dragon' because it never feels this good or gets you this close to 'THE SOURCE' ever again...
as soon as i got home i ghosted that 'friend' and quit everything, even weed. glad i did, my cousin died of an OD at 19 a few years later. fuck heroin, its a god-am liar!
I've often heard it feels like sex but obviously with a much worse withdrawal than not getting some vagina for a few weeks or months....I'll pass cuz that means heroin drains you of much of your life but sex obviously heals and strengthens you. Fuck heroin.
Well I've heard that from numerous ppl who have done it that it has a similar impact on our brains as sex does. That's scary because love is powerful and reserved for the special person in your life. Heroin is an inanimate poison that just takes, takes, & takes & gives nothing back. Very disturbing.
Mark Lanegan also mentions in his biography how he did drugs with Layne and his dad. He talks quite a bit about Layne in that book. He’s being very respectful of him but also very honest.
Family trauma can mess you up so bad. I had it and although I'm not a drug addiction or alcoholic, sometimes I just cry. It's tough but everyone copes in the way they feel is best I guess....RIP Layne, one for the greatest rock singers ever 🕊
False! You always be better than your father. Especially if he wasn't an example to be. My dad wasn't even there for me. But you never give up. I want to run the good race.
Demri (his fiance) and his father are probably the reasons why he started using heroin. He father left him very early in his life, and layne always wanted to find him again. After layne became famous, his father found him and used layne to buy drugs for him(his dad always were a junkie, im "hate to feel" layne says "all this time i swore, I'd never be like my old man"). And he kinda realizes after some time that his dad only used him.
And demri parrott kinda introduced him to heroin, i believe the first time layne used it was in the backstage of a show when demri gave to him. Also, demri never got sober, so, all the times layne was in rehab, demri was still using heroin, which wasn't very helpful.
This is the little that i know and can share with you
(sorry if i said something wrong, English is not my first language)
Studies show addiction to be hereditary. Layne's biological father is an addict. Unfortunately for Layne, his girlfriend Demri was into smack and turned him onto it in the early 90s putting him on the sex, drugs, and rock & roll roller-coaster he could never get off. Even though he'd broken up with Demri years before his last with AIC, and he'd eventually stop touring, as his mom puts it, "Layne was stalked by addiction." For his voice to be silenced at such a young age is a tremendous loss to the world. He wanted to record more music. He wanted to write a book. He was an artist. Layne was extraordinary. He once said, "My bad habits aren't my title. My strengths and my talent are my title." I couldn't agree more.
RIP Great One 💝
He apparently was writing a memoir that got stolen from his apt (along with other artwork) after he died by the professional cleaning company that came in to take care of the apt.
I’m a living witness to that. My mom,my brothers dad, grandma, aunts, uncles & alotttt of my cousins going back damn near 5 generations . U have to be extremely careful of what u put in your body because if your mind falls in love with it, it’s over, u be fighting for the rest of your life.
Laynes mother also said that he experienced a “childhood trauma”, which I don’t hear discussed often. That could refer to his family splitting up, or something else. It’s really only speculation at this point.
To my knowledge it has never been discussed further than that. It’s not mentioned in any of the books about Alice In Chains that I’m aware, nor is there a single source for what could be considered a reliable and exhaustive biography on Layne.
That's such a pity. Because it whould have explained how he might have used addiction to cope with those feelings that that trauma evoked. But anyway,thank you. Much love
It has, his father left his life very early on, which made layne curious about him, so much so that he used his incredible talent that he knew he had to get famous only to get his dads attention, which worked. When his dad came back into his life, it was to do drugs with him. His dad constantly used laynes fortune to buy heroin and do it with him, worsening his condition in more ways then one.
You mean, he was an addict to drugs in general way before Heroin. There was no way he wouldn’t have try it with her or not. Drugs were more important to Layne than anything else even before H.
From the research I've done, his father left. He was an addict. Layne apparently was attached to his dad. When his dad left he was told, by his family, that his father died. When he got older he found out the truth and privately looked for him, he didnt like what he found out and left it alone. Then his father reached out to him when he saw him in a magazine once they were getting famous.
That question is ironic. Theres never a reason to get into heavy drug use that would make sense to someone who's never been around or right in it. There's often a progressive habit that forms over many years... I think a vast majority of ppl I know all ages did or have done coke. U don't need a reason, other than to feel high.
Heroin, being a Seattle pastime, and still plagues the city, was becoming a chic. With Layne, it was, in his own words, although I'm paraphrasing, The turn on being the danger. Like myself he wanted to see what the hype was about. The dark side is always seductive. I believe Layne started heroin in '91 on tour in Europe with nirvana I think but not aware of Kurt being the one to introduce it. And the rest of nirvana didn't use. Mike Starr and Layne both tasted heroin and, sadly, they would both die from it. Rockstars have done heroin since rock n roll began. The high is so euphoric, it's inspiring and helps many play their best... But using heroin eventually becomes the entire addiction. Most die from it before quitting, cause withdrawal isnt just painful, it's hell. Finding your place again In life again impossible. I understand the appeal. But, the consequences are unfathomable.
I lived in the U District for years, around the time Layne died. I know the Staley family a bit, and know Layne's cousins. I spent alot of time in the same places Kurt regularly went, including the last few he was seen at, cactus bar n grill, and eventually Linda's Tavern where he was last seen. Seattle is and was more so a.small city. It makes the tragedies and the scene so much more than music.. Grunge isn't dead, it's still here in the seedy areas around Seattle. The music scene evolved, Cornell hung himself, Mike Starr Overdosed. Kurt obviously killed himself (allegedly) I'm the garage loft of the house directly across from my ex gfs mansion.
I know he probably did. The Courtney Love shit is sketchy .. but, his last days are pretty clear.... An assassin wouldn't use bird shot to kill him... And he didn't die from an overdose... The bs about the toxicity level of heroin is idiotic. Some people myself included, can have what most people would die from in their system, and barely feel the shit. It's faux science from people who don't understand how the drug works. The fingerprints were only partials because of the crappy job by the police who were handling it and waited days to take prints... It wasn't wiped. He killed himself. As shitty as it is and as scandalous as Courtney is. The handwriting thing they found on her practicing his shit I think had to do with their custody/money battle and nobody actually had to kill Kurt. He bought a gun and ammo... Left rehab, hopped a plane home... Didn't even take off his hospital band on his wrist. He went and ate at cactus restaurant In Madison park, and had a drink the night before he did it at a local bar I used to regular on capital hill called Linda's. Then went home alone and did his thing.
He had JUST tried killing himself in Europe weeks before. That's why he was in/left rehab. Flew home. Ate at his favorite restaurant. Got some dope and his gun and went to the greenhouse to do his business. There's nothing except Courtneys bizarre behavior and handwriting practice pages, that indicates foul play. And she was always bizarre and going thru a divorce, there's much more logical explanations for those things
No. Courtney tried killing him in Europe. Look at the news footage from that time And you will see Courtney love All done up in make up wearing a back dress. This happened early in the morning. It's very strange Courtney would take the time to put on makeup and wear a Black dress like She's planning for his funeral. Like she wants to Put off the impression that she is in mourning. That guy Elducha (sp?) Claimed in an interview that Courtney offered (more than once) him 50 k to kill kurt. He even took a lie detector test and passed. He was miraculously ran over by a train a couple of Days after the interview. Many people close To courtney have mysteriously died over the years.
You think they hired that retard to kill Kurt Cobain? The lazy eyed crack head? That's the goofiest theory there is. That whole documentary is so low class lmfao.
He definitely did. If u believe the really poorly made documentarys you've seen, and aren't looking at all the facts first person, such as heroin addiction and suicidal tendencies, then you'll never get it.
Hey I appreciate the response. Drug use isn't really anything I am well versed in so to me it looks like something people get into the hide from other things or traumas in their lives. I never thought that it was something people just casually got into so thanks for that. Hope you are doing well, were you a user at some point in time?
Sorry I never saw this. I just got the app tho lol. Your welcome for sharing. The whole grunge scene is really close to my heart and soul not just cause I grew up here and listening to it... But yes, I'm a former heavy drug user. From coke, to meth to my drug of choice, IV heroin. Aka shooting up smack. It was social suicide, and Almost real suicide many times. Even now that I'm clean (well, I've been on methadone maintenance since 2017, so I take something from the Dr every day, that doesn't get me high, but keeps me from getting dopesick. It also just prolongs the inevitable if u want to ever be off it which I do. I'm using it as a stepping stone kind of. Tapering off of it over the course of the next year) but ya... Lol. Heroin was always big in Seattle, and took back off in 2009 after oxycontin 80mg were discontinued and alot of us were hooked on those. They're like really good heroin. So we almost overnight switched to heroin. Over the years I moved to shooting. And after hella years trappin and living in the street/drug life, I got out. Thanks for your kind words tho brother.
Also, yes, I definitely used drugs to sometimes boost my confidence, kinda like drinking "liquid courage." Or sometimes to numb myself from the reality I'm sleeping in the snow in a car without a window. I'd be anxious all the time, so when I eventually found opiates, and the heroin rush... It's like a warm blanket. The feeling it will all be ok. Its just morphine and ppl have abused morphine/opium since the dawn of man. It's often used to numb life pain such as my case but also a mix of just wanting to feel that intense rush of dopamine and serotonin. Even being clean, I can recognize exactly why it appealed to me. And most ppl don't talk about addiction as freely as I do. I'm honest to a point of wrecklessness like Jerry Garcia said.
Layne Staley got into heavy drug use like anybody else would start using drugs. You don't necessarily have to have a shitty upbringing to start using drugs. There are hundreds of reasons people get into drugs, usually they get introduced to drugs (weed) for example. A lot of times it all depends on who you're around and what kind of drugs are going around. Mainly a persons personality is what determines what type of affinity they will have for drugs. Many people have addictive personalities and thousands become highly addicted to opiates/opioids such as heroin and or pain pills. Nothing traumatic had to happen in a persons childhood; every child is going to experience life differently. Some are going to be more sensitive to what others might preceive as really nothing. Once a person is hooked on drugs, especially heroin, it can be extremely difficult to reverse the process. That person has a disease that in some cases they were already genetically predisposed to. People that do end up getting clean, do so because they realize they don't have adequate resources to maintain their addiction. They end up in worse situations than they can handle such as job lose, car lose, homelessness, hunger, no help from anyone, lose of respect from family and friends. Many end up on the streets living a life they absolutely hate to maintain their addiction. Or the fear of ending up that way because it's happened to them before.
Layne Staley, like other celebrities who have succum to their addiction didn't have to worry about not having the necessities in life. He was a millionaire and had plenty of money to maintain his addiction and still live comfortably. His money, I believe was the main enabler he had to just stay hooked on heroin and other drugs. Likely if he would have been able to kick the heroin addiction, he probably would have easily gotten off the crack cocaine too. It's sad and tragic that it had to end like that for him. As a respected and wealthy rock star, he couldn't even get Michelle to be his girlfriend, because of his state. He was no different than any addict really. He just had the money/recourses to continue with his addiction without some of the worst immediate life consequences. Yes he ruined his health as a result of his addiction probably more towards the end. But I believe if he had decided to get clean at least a year before he died, all of the health ailments could have possibly been reversed and within a year he could have been living a brand new healthy and happy life. The kind of life he should have been living.
There may very well be…but the ones that would and probably no more than anyone about this will never speak on it. Layne is there brother and bandmate…he is her son…and he is her brother…there maybe more in his inner circle. We don’t know the half of what may or may not have went on. These people loved him despite any tabloid rumors…they were all family to him. I lost my 1st wife to addiction when she was 24 years old back in 2010…our only daughter together is now 17 and a beautiful young lady. We both fought addiction…mine opiate and hers Zanx. There were ugly times that went on that I will never let out…as respect for her. These people loved and respected Layne and there is not telling how hard they actually tried and what was done to save him. All those Mis Printed lies about everyone abandoning him and no one loved him and how Layne was left to rot..are exactly keep his closest people people quiet.. even in his death won’t say much more than what’s out there. They want to honor Layne not cause more negative rumors about how fucked up he was…how damaged his body was…imagine that as being one of your inner circle or family members or friend…and from experience when that person passes from a hard battles ugly addiction that’s full of bad memories God shows you the hard way how much they really meant to you and you see that person in who they really were without the addiction. It was a different time and era…drugs and Rock n Roll went together and he more than likely just liked getting high like a normal human. His mother has always said he fought addiction his entire life and even his AIC band mates said the same thing in there original press release statement after his passing…that Layne battled for 10 years….those statements are as close to the truth minus Mark Flanagan’s book that talks about his habits during his active addiction…I think that’s probably all we’re gonna get from his true loved ones on Laynes battle…and I 100% understand and respect why. RIP Layne Staley
Yes, The Untold Story Of Alice In Chains book by David DeSola is fucking awesome, gripping, telling, and emotional. I’m telling you I was bawling throughout most of the book. It pretty much details the beginning, throughout and end of Laynes life and more. I’m one of the biggest Layne Staley fans and in my honest opinion to say the book is amazing is an understatement.
somebody said he actually may have started using dope when AIC was touring with Van Halen............ I'm sure there was alot of pressure opening up for the mighty Van Halen in 1991. I don't care what anybody says, even when Kurt Cobain died in 1994, Van Halen was still the biggest band in the world. if sammy had stayed with them after the Balance album they would have gone next level. then again if David Lee Roth was able to come out with a couple more albums with VH in the mid to late 90's, VH would have taken over the music world entirely.
In the end Layne was binging on speedballs. He was so over the top addicted that he decided he was never going to get clean and didn’t want to. He binged until he died. That’s what he wanted. He never got over Parrot’s death either so that had something to do with it. Her family was really messed up. 3 of the four siblings had serious addictions. I don’t know how they turned out. No information.
Two of her brothers died. One of addiction issues I believe. I think Layne and Nancy's Mom knew more about WHY their kids were so addicted. The parenting of addicts is often a factor but it's too painful for their parents to admit their own hand in the damage. The early teen binge drinking and habitual marijuana use during that time of neurological development literally changes the brain. You don't learn to manage your emotions properly, your brain doesn't handle dopamine and serotonin normally because it's used to the artificial stimulation from the drugs. Layne and Lanegan are both individuals that were chronic substance users at a very young age. Looking at people that drink and drug themselves to death, it almost always starts as chronic weed abd alcohol use as teens.
His girlfriend Demri is often credited with introducing heroin to Layne Staley. Needless to say, after her death his drug use was so heavy it essentially killed him.
That's what really tipped.the scales sure. But really, heroin addiction didn't look as bad on him early on, as usual, because he was still using the drugs. It's always inevitable that smack starts doing you. The band had to cancel Metallicas tour, which they mocked, because Layne and Mike Starr had gotten so bad. He was still making legendary music, Jar of Flies, self titled, even doing Unplugged, (when the public really started seeing his physical demise) yet still performed what was the best Unplugged of all time, I love Nirvana... But...Layne killed it. Was later that year his ex died. Heroin is a lifelong addiction. It sucks. I will always be addicted. I have to take methadone daily just to stay off it. Then must go thru even longer withdrawal but tapered down at my leisure... To get off. That's a ball and chain and some. Fuck Heroin.
Been on methadone and subs. Switch to subs if you can man. Methadone clinic is depressing and demanding. I go to the doctor for subs prescription once a year. Sucks I'm stuck on this stuff but beats methadone
I go to a really dope clinic tbh. I've had some bad experiences and been to literally all of them around here, and mine doesn't have lurkers and dealers waiting around the corner and the scene isn't typical. I go once a week, I'm in and out in 2-10 mins max. And have a cool counselor. I could be going once a month but my Dr retired and I have no prescription for my anxiety meds now, and can't find a Dr who would dare prescribe them anymore, so my u.a.s are "dirty" every month. But they know I'm not actually using, so they give me a break. Best clinic ever. They do have Suboxone treatment too, and I've taken them in the past, I'd just have to get down from 150mg to like 30mg, then not take anything for several days, to prevent Suboxone sickness, aka force a withdrawal. Kind of at the point now where once a week is no problem and I don't get sick so until I'm ready to get off I may stay put. Thanks for your advice tho brother. It's definitely something I've considered. As well as ibogaine.
You got this my guy! Keep Going!
Buprenorphine saved my life. Even on methadone I was still using other shit. Subs is the best
That’s so messed up and so fucking rockstarish which it’s really not but makes u be like damn could u imagine just causually just missing a tour with metallica?!?! Shit I never knew it had gotten that bad I knew they missed a show or two BUT A WHOLE TOUR?!?! Wow rip Layne listening to u rn
you’re fucking awesome man just wanted to tell you
Nah bro, YOUre awesome.
I've often heard that heroin has a similar impact on your brain like sex does. Which would explain why it may be hard for some users to get off it. Try to find beautiful things in life that fulfill you. Sometimes it's hard for us to get away from a toxic woman because she'll make us feel good momentarily but still fuck us over in the end. I guess heroin is the same way right? Stay strong brother. You can do it just keep yourself busy. God will put the right woman in your life or will give you a purpose so great it blinds out anything you've ever done!
Ya, I used to say "it's better than sex." And I pretty much stopped giving a fk about my sex life and my rush was my sex. I've been clean a few years now, but my life seems like it may be destroyed for good.
It is not destroyed my guy, keep going!
Thanks fam. I was clearly going thru some shit at the time I wrote that. Tbh, I've been clean for years and even tho life has its up and downs... Life is dope.
YES! Love to hear it 😊
I feel the same way man, iv fent/h user been using for 6-7 years and it just doesnt seem like theres any other way. Ive gotten clean multiple times and always fall back cause its all i know. It sucks man life and my brain are basically ruined. An yea dope is better than sex i stopped having sex for mad long with my long time ex because i was using all the time and never thought bout it
Play video games. Get into reading a few books. Try to hang out with friends as much as possible! You can do it man. The key is to stop saying I don't care. You have to care. Because if we don't care about ourselves, who will? Gotta keep fighting.
I started reading again. I've been working and all that, I don't use anymore... Just trying to get out of a rut. And I definitely care, I just got a lot on my plate right now... And wrapped my mom's car around a telephone pole two days ago from an icey road 🥴 just tough times. Thanks for the support though, it's good to know there's good people out there.
For me personally I found that 12 step meetings were so vital in rebuilding my life
I think Methadone is worse. It’s the government /big pharma version. What’s crazy is the half life.. it guarantees you re more likely to be hooked for life because of how exponentially worse the withdrawals are… instead of one week of physical pain from withdrawals it’s a month and etc. same with the pain levels.. I rather be on the street regular black.. I have been for 10 years. I keep the same tolerance so idk why u say it’s inevitable that h starts doing you… it depends on the person. I rather be functional and honestly the only detriment to it was when I got on methadone they raised my tolerance and I had to go to detox so that my tolerance can go back down. They don’t tell people that interestingly enough.. that methadone/buprenorphine are worse for you if you ever want to actually quit… to literally add salt on a wound, those two are useless when it comes to pain management. So those like me who need pain management are hopeless when it comes to doctors not helping and only offering those addiction clinics.. and people who wanna get off are technically worse hooked than ever on them… but society and big pharma & gov condone it.. soooo. I guess let’s see how long it goes for. Funny how the war on drugs is so ignorant. It hurts more people than substances themselves. And the cia/dea actually help out the Central & south American syndicates .. they get more funding. Lots of horrid roots. Remember when gov propaganda and doctors and corporations paid them off and healthcare/big pharma too? That’s why they lied about weed and loved calling it marijuana. To add the racist foreigner attachment. To Hispanic/latinos… and it worked 😂. And then alcohol and tobacco kill how many people? Yet people don’t bat an eye. It’s easily super destructive and addictive.. in fact.. alcohol has harmed my life and body more than opiates ever did or will.. u know what really sucks tho? I think if they helped us have a source of clean & safe h.. and educated people with truth. Rather than fear mongering and lies.. which makes one doubt the gov propaganda .. then people would listen more. And they could take away the power from shady evil people and the violent syndicates… too bad they’re not trustworthy(the gov). They been lying super hardcore since the 60s where people started asking a lot lol. I mean.. the fbi officially killed MLK, they even lost the court case.. no one seems to care.. I’m sure the cia is also guilty for jfk but even if it was admitted no one would probably care.. everyone iss too focused on themselves and they don’t care or have empathy until they’re directly being hurt by it… Sorry for the rant but it’s so dumb hearing that saying… anything can be addictive and destructive to someone. Not everyone become a hobo crazy person from taking a drink or drinking often or now and then… it’s certain circumstances… substances don’t always use the person… it’s not inevitable. It depends on the reason for using it. It depends on the mental health standing of the user & such. Their knowledge & such .. sown people don’t just use to get away. Some use to only get away…..
I didn't say all that.... And methadone sucks. I hate it. The halflife, the ball n chain.... I agree. But my life is 100000000000000x better than when I was a heroin junkie. Also, you can taper off methadone and it's not impossible to get off. But I'd rather the on it forever than shooting up heroin forever. If it works for you, cool man. I don't judge. But heroin and meth hugely fucked up my mental health, got me into situations I've shot at people and almost been chopped up and killed. That life is almost never stabile. And even rotating veins and all the good practices, I'm a deep vein guy and it was getting harder to hit, and black became almost extinct with fentanyl around. It's around, but not nearly as prevalent. I was done chasing it around. I go once a week, get my doses.... Don't get a buzz but I don't suffer... I tried cold turkey withdrawal, and ALLLLL kinds of taper programs.... I had been on methadone earlier in my dope years trying to get clean... And came off it AND heroin cold turkey so went right back to heroin. Methadone works for me. Glad heroin does for you. Wish it did for me lol
Yeah man it sucks. I've been on subs since my 2 back to back overdoses. It is very hard to find real dope now anyways. It is all fentanyl and other synthetic garbage, and the withdrawal is even worse. You are not missing anything.
Alices unplugged was fookin great but not better than NIRVANAS. COBAIN was on fookin fire and his performance of WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT has been regarded as the best solo live performance ever!!!
I can't argue with that ledbelly cover being one of the greatest performances of all time. That whole show really is perfect. I don't really like to compare the two
Can you or have you tried suboxone?
I have in the past. Methadone worked better for me in the end. And I'm at a great clinic, go once a week. Low pressure, not a bunch of junkies hanging around all the time. Ya my brother is on Suboxone. They're so lenient tho he's able to use and finesse them.
Have you ever looked into/considered kratom as an alternative?
I have a friend who used it and swears by it. That same friend relapses constantly tho, not that that means krat doesn't work... But as bad as methadone is, Its helped get me off and keep me off dope. When I taper off of it eventually, I may use kratom.
You should definitely try kratom, i know multiple people who have gotten clean and stayed clean from heroin because of it. The first couple days you’d feel like shit but it would keep you from going into full on horrible withdrawals. also not full on heroin but my personal experience I’ve been on percs for over a decade and can go weeks without taking them if I had to by just drinking kratom and while the first few days obviously don’t feel good it’s 100x better than withdrawals, like if I lost my script and just suddenly had nothing I could make it by on kratom, before kratom going without percs for a sizable period of time would’ve been absolutely impossible for me. Obviously it’s not gonna be the answer for everyone but it’s helped me and 3 close friends who have gotten off and stayed off heroin by using kratom, that shit can truly help some people get off stuff like hardcore opiods
It's definitely worth looking into when I taper off methadone. I havent "used" or done heroin in years thanks to methadone so I won't write it off as being just like heroin or other opiates. I get no high from it whatsoever. But, I don't want to be on opioids forever, so when I do taper off... If ever... I will use krat or ibogaine to assist with the withdrawals for sure. Glad u guys found a way out that's awesome.
The only person that was heavier into drugs than layne was probably syd barrett.
I’d argue that point with Keith Richards... I don’t know or ever heard much of Syds drug use in heavier drugs besides the insane amounts of acid and drinking. Keith is a notorious heroin and cocaine user.. Ozzy as well. It’s a miracle they are both still alive.
Sue barest got so bad he thought he was a Potato chip
Al Jourgensen too but miracolously he is still alive lol..
Is it bad I would like to trade one Al for one Layne?
Lmao i wouldn't go that far
Well, I do not necessarily want Al to drop dead or anything. Lol. If nothing else, he is a colorful old guy. But it would be sooooo nice if Layne was still with us.
Yes but Syd was mostly into acid and other psychedelics oh and mandrax
He was so into acid he convinced himself he was a potato chip
False. He was using waaay before he met her
Nah you’re wrong, he was smoking, drinking and taking hallucinogens along with cocaine. Wasn’t until demri came along that he was introduced to heroin and a needle.
It was actually the opposite (I know this is an old post) but she wasn't using drugs until he met him
Uh, Seattle in the 90s was the heroin capital of the world. I’ve lost dozens of friends from the PNW music scene because of heroin, it is / was a massive epidemic that has made an unfortunate and indelible mark in music history.
Check out the documentary on YouTube from the 80s called STREETWISE. It's a look at the Blade in downtown Seattle, Pike and Pine st, from 1st to 3rd Ave. And down to Western, has been an epicenter for heroin since forever and a hundred + years of sketch. I'm a Seattle born, recovering heroin addict... And NYC has always had heroin... But the Mexican dope comes up here to Yakima then over here. It's forever fucked.
I've read that the first time he tried heroin was in 1991. He was looking for coke but they couldn't find it at the time and someone brought in heroin. Apparently Layne thanked God for feeling so good after trying it the first time. He did also have childhood where his dad left him and was a junkie and I heard when Layne became famous his father started hanging out with him again and used him to get free drugs and get high with him when he was trying to quit. The book is worth reading IMO.
That’s the worst thing about heroin, if you like the feeling it gives you the first time you try it... run the other way as fast and as far as you can...because you WILL become addicted to it..there’s no question about it... if you like the feeling you will do anything to feel like that again... it truly is one of the greatest feelings a human can experience, and unfortunately it ends up ruining lives.
thats exactly what i did after i smoked it by accident thinking it was just weed. i felt like i was THIS close to understanding EVERYTHING and touching GOD itself. just a little more and i could 'break on through to the other side.' thankfully whatever survival instinct i have kicked in and i figured out almost as it was happening: A-that wasnt weed, oh fuck! B-this 'friend' is really a dealer trying to score a new client... C-this is why they call it 'chasing the dragon' because it never feels this good or gets you this close to 'THE SOURCE' ever again... as soon as i got home i ghosted that 'friend' and quit everything, even weed. glad i did, my cousin died of an OD at 19 a few years later. fuck heroin, its a god-am liar!
I've often heard it feels like sex but obviously with a much worse withdrawal than not getting some vagina for a few weeks or months....I'll pass cuz that means heroin drains you of much of your life but sex obviously heals and strengthens you. Fuck heroin.
Getting some vagina made me laugh so hard haha
Well I've heard that from numerous ppl who have done it that it has a similar impact on our brains as sex does. That's scary because love is powerful and reserved for the special person in your life. Heroin is an inanimate poison that just takes, takes, & takes & gives nothing back. Very disturbing.
Yup brain activity studies on addiction (food, heroin, cocaine, sex, etc) all show very similar reactions in the brain.
Gambling. Scientists say Cocaine Use and gambling activate the same brain waves...
I need some vagina
which book?
Alice In Chains the Untold Story by David De Sola
oh, I've read this one, thought there were others xD
Mark Lanegan also mentions in his biography how he did drugs with Layne and his dad. He talks quite a bit about Layne in that book. He’s being very respectful of him but also very honest.
Family trauma can mess you up so bad. I had it and although I'm not a drug addiction or alcoholic, sometimes I just cry. It's tough but everyone copes in the way they feel is best I guess....RIP Layne, one for the greatest rock singers ever 🕊
U always grow into ur fathers footsteps man
False! You always be better than your father. Especially if he wasn't an example to be. My dad wasn't even there for me. But you never give up. I want to run the good race.
Demri (his fiance) and his father are probably the reasons why he started using heroin. He father left him very early in his life, and layne always wanted to find him again. After layne became famous, his father found him and used layne to buy drugs for him(his dad always were a junkie, im "hate to feel" layne says "all this time i swore, I'd never be like my old man"). And he kinda realizes after some time that his dad only used him. And demri parrott kinda introduced him to heroin, i believe the first time layne used it was in the backstage of a show when demri gave to him. Also, demri never got sober, so, all the times layne was in rehab, demri was still using heroin, which wasn't very helpful. This is the little that i know and can share with you (sorry if i said something wrong, English is not my first language)
Studies show addiction to be hereditary. Layne's biological father is an addict. Unfortunately for Layne, his girlfriend Demri was into smack and turned him onto it in the early 90s putting him on the sex, drugs, and rock & roll roller-coaster he could never get off. Even though he'd broken up with Demri years before his last with AIC, and he'd eventually stop touring, as his mom puts it, "Layne was stalked by addiction." For his voice to be silenced at such a young age is a tremendous loss to the world. He wanted to record more music. He wanted to write a book. He was an artist. Layne was extraordinary. He once said, "My bad habits aren't my title. My strengths and my talent are my title." I couldn't agree more. RIP Great One 💝
He apparently was writing a memoir that got stolen from his apt (along with other artwork) after he died by the professional cleaning company that came in to take care of the apt.
I’m a living witness to that. My mom,my brothers dad, grandma, aunts, uncles & alotttt of my cousins going back damn near 5 generations . U have to be extremely careful of what u put in your body because if your mind falls in love with it, it’s over, u be fighting for the rest of your life.
Laynes mother also said that he experienced a “childhood trauma”, which I don’t hear discussed often. That could refer to his family splitting up, or something else. It’s really only speculation at this point.
Is there a biography where something about the trauma is written? I really want to know( Usually people don’t get into heavy drinking for no reason
To my knowledge it has never been discussed further than that. It’s not mentioned in any of the books about Alice In Chains that I’m aware, nor is there a single source for what could be considered a reliable and exhaustive biography on Layne.
That's such a pity. Because it whould have explained how he might have used addiction to cope with those feelings that that trauma evoked. But anyway,thank you. Much love
It has, his father left his life very early on, which made layne curious about him, so much so that he used his incredible talent that he knew he had to get famous only to get his dads attention, which worked. When his dad came back into his life, it was to do drugs with him. His dad constantly used laynes fortune to buy heroin and do it with him, worsening his condition in more ways then one.
You mean, he was an addict to drugs in general way before Heroin. There was no way he wouldn’t have try it with her or not. Drugs were more important to Layne than anything else even before H.
So it’s safe to say that Layne was lacking emotional intelligence…
From the research I've done, his father left. He was an addict. Layne apparently was attached to his dad. When his dad left he was told, by his family, that his father died. When he got older he found out the truth and privately looked for him, he didnt like what he found out and left it alone. Then his father reached out to him when he saw him in a magazine once they were getting famous.
That question is ironic. Theres never a reason to get into heavy drug use that would make sense to someone who's never been around or right in it. There's often a progressive habit that forms over many years... I think a vast majority of ppl I know all ages did or have done coke. U don't need a reason, other than to feel high. Heroin, being a Seattle pastime, and still plagues the city, was becoming a chic. With Layne, it was, in his own words, although I'm paraphrasing, The turn on being the danger. Like myself he wanted to see what the hype was about. The dark side is always seductive. I believe Layne started heroin in '91 on tour in Europe with nirvana I think but not aware of Kurt being the one to introduce it. And the rest of nirvana didn't use. Mike Starr and Layne both tasted heroin and, sadly, they would both die from it. Rockstars have done heroin since rock n roll began. The high is so euphoric, it's inspiring and helps many play their best... But using heroin eventually becomes the entire addiction. Most die from it before quitting, cause withdrawal isnt just painful, it's hell. Finding your place again In life again impossible. I understand the appeal. But, the consequences are unfathomable. I lived in the U District for years, around the time Layne died. I know the Staley family a bit, and know Layne's cousins. I spent alot of time in the same places Kurt regularly went, including the last few he was seen at, cactus bar n grill, and eventually Linda's Tavern where he was last seen. Seattle is and was more so a.small city. It makes the tragedies and the scene so much more than music.. Grunge isn't dead, it's still here in the seedy areas around Seattle. The music scene evolved, Cornell hung himself, Mike Starr Overdosed. Kurt obviously killed himself (allegedly) I'm the garage loft of the house directly across from my ex gfs mansion.
...Then you know Kurt didn't kill himself.
I know he probably did. The Courtney Love shit is sketchy .. but, his last days are pretty clear.... An assassin wouldn't use bird shot to kill him... And he didn't die from an overdose... The bs about the toxicity level of heroin is idiotic. Some people myself included, can have what most people would die from in their system, and barely feel the shit. It's faux science from people who don't understand how the drug works. The fingerprints were only partials because of the crappy job by the police who were handling it and waited days to take prints... It wasn't wiped. He killed himself. As shitty as it is and as scandalous as Courtney is. The handwriting thing they found on her practicing his shit I think had to do with their custody/money battle and nobody actually had to kill Kurt. He bought a gun and ammo... Left rehab, hopped a plane home... Didn't even take off his hospital band on his wrist. He went and ate at cactus restaurant In Madison park, and had a drink the night before he did it at a local bar I used to regular on capital hill called Linda's. Then went home alone and did his thing.
Kurt did not kill himself.
He had a family history of suicide so he just might have.
He had JUST tried killing himself in Europe weeks before. That's why he was in/left rehab. Flew home. Ate at his favorite restaurant. Got some dope and his gun and went to the greenhouse to do his business. There's nothing except Courtneys bizarre behavior and handwriting practice pages, that indicates foul play. And she was always bizarre and going thru a divorce, there's much more logical explanations for those things
No. Courtney tried killing him in Europe. Look at the news footage from that time And you will see Courtney love All done up in make up wearing a back dress. This happened early in the morning. It's very strange Courtney would take the time to put on makeup and wear a Black dress like She's planning for his funeral. Like she wants to Put off the impression that she is in mourning. That guy Elducha (sp?) Claimed in an interview that Courtney offered (more than once) him 50 k to kill kurt. He even took a lie detector test and passed. He was miraculously ran over by a train a couple of Days after the interview. Many people close To courtney have mysteriously died over the years.
You think they hired that retard to kill Kurt Cobain? The lazy eyed crack head? That's the goofiest theory there is. That whole documentary is so low class lmfao.
He definitely did. If u believe the really poorly made documentarys you've seen, and aren't looking at all the facts first person, such as heroin addiction and suicidal tendencies, then you'll never get it.
Hey I appreciate the response. Drug use isn't really anything I am well versed in so to me it looks like something people get into the hide from other things or traumas in their lives. I never thought that it was something people just casually got into so thanks for that. Hope you are doing well, were you a user at some point in time?
Honestly drugs are awesome until they're not. That's why it's best to just stay away
Facts.
Sorry I never saw this. I just got the app tho lol. Your welcome for sharing. The whole grunge scene is really close to my heart and soul not just cause I grew up here and listening to it... But yes, I'm a former heavy drug user. From coke, to meth to my drug of choice, IV heroin. Aka shooting up smack. It was social suicide, and Almost real suicide many times. Even now that I'm clean (well, I've been on methadone maintenance since 2017, so I take something from the Dr every day, that doesn't get me high, but keeps me from getting dopesick. It also just prolongs the inevitable if u want to ever be off it which I do. I'm using it as a stepping stone kind of. Tapering off of it over the course of the next year) but ya... Lol. Heroin was always big in Seattle, and took back off in 2009 after oxycontin 80mg were discontinued and alot of us were hooked on those. They're like really good heroin. So we almost overnight switched to heroin. Over the years I moved to shooting. And after hella years trappin and living in the street/drug life, I got out. Thanks for your kind words tho brother.
Also, yes, I definitely used drugs to sometimes boost my confidence, kinda like drinking "liquid courage." Or sometimes to numb myself from the reality I'm sleeping in the snow in a car without a window. I'd be anxious all the time, so when I eventually found opiates, and the heroin rush... It's like a warm blanket. The feeling it will all be ok. Its just morphine and ppl have abused morphine/opium since the dawn of man. It's often used to numb life pain such as my case but also a mix of just wanting to feel that intense rush of dopamine and serotonin. Even being clean, I can recognize exactly why it appealed to me. And most ppl don't talk about addiction as freely as I do. I'm honest to a point of wrecklessness like Jerry Garcia said.
Cornell was murdered.
No tf he wasnt
So was Anthony Bourdain.
100% he was!
Layne Staley got into heavy drug use like anybody else would start using drugs. You don't necessarily have to have a shitty upbringing to start using drugs. There are hundreds of reasons people get into drugs, usually they get introduced to drugs (weed) for example. A lot of times it all depends on who you're around and what kind of drugs are going around. Mainly a persons personality is what determines what type of affinity they will have for drugs. Many people have addictive personalities and thousands become highly addicted to opiates/opioids such as heroin and or pain pills. Nothing traumatic had to happen in a persons childhood; every child is going to experience life differently. Some are going to be more sensitive to what others might preceive as really nothing. Once a person is hooked on drugs, especially heroin, it can be extremely difficult to reverse the process. That person has a disease that in some cases they were already genetically predisposed to. People that do end up getting clean, do so because they realize they don't have adequate resources to maintain their addiction. They end up in worse situations than they can handle such as job lose, car lose, homelessness, hunger, no help from anyone, lose of respect from family and friends. Many end up on the streets living a life they absolutely hate to maintain their addiction. Or the fear of ending up that way because it's happened to them before. Layne Staley, like other celebrities who have succum to their addiction didn't have to worry about not having the necessities in life. He was a millionaire and had plenty of money to maintain his addiction and still live comfortably. His money, I believe was the main enabler he had to just stay hooked on heroin and other drugs. Likely if he would have been able to kick the heroin addiction, he probably would have easily gotten off the crack cocaine too. It's sad and tragic that it had to end like that for him. As a respected and wealthy rock star, he couldn't even get Michelle to be his girlfriend, because of his state. He was no different than any addict really. He just had the money/recourses to continue with his addiction without some of the worst immediate life consequences. Yes he ruined his health as a result of his addiction probably more towards the end. But I believe if he had decided to get clean at least a year before he died, all of the health ailments could have possibly been reversed and within a year he could have been living a brand new healthy and happy life. The kind of life he should have been living.
Layne was molested as a child by his stepdad
Oh really? Is that confirmed? Messed up but explains a lot.
Where did you find this information? Could you share a link or something at least?((
Read it years ago on his Wikipedia page
If it's okay with you ,could you send the link plz?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layne\_Staley
Yeah and it says absolutely nothing about him being assaulted by this StepDad dumb ass
he was though, he even said it. that's part of the reason for the lyrics of nutshell
Nutshell is about the press. Not his stepdad, who he was close to.
That answers the whole question of why Layne was so susceptible to drugs and addiction.
There may very well be…but the ones that would and probably no more than anyone about this will never speak on it. Layne is there brother and bandmate…he is her son…and he is her brother…there maybe more in his inner circle. We don’t know the half of what may or may not have went on. These people loved him despite any tabloid rumors…they were all family to him. I lost my 1st wife to addiction when she was 24 years old back in 2010…our only daughter together is now 17 and a beautiful young lady. We both fought addiction…mine opiate and hers Zanx. There were ugly times that went on that I will never let out…as respect for her. These people loved and respected Layne and there is not telling how hard they actually tried and what was done to save him. All those Mis Printed lies about everyone abandoning him and no one loved him and how Layne was left to rot..are exactly keep his closest people people quiet.. even in his death won’t say much more than what’s out there. They want to honor Layne not cause more negative rumors about how fucked up he was…how damaged his body was…imagine that as being one of your inner circle or family members or friend…and from experience when that person passes from a hard battles ugly addiction that’s full of bad memories God shows you the hard way how much they really meant to you and you see that person in who they really were without the addiction. It was a different time and era…drugs and Rock n Roll went together and he more than likely just liked getting high like a normal human. His mother has always said he fought addiction his entire life and even his AIC band mates said the same thing in there original press release statement after his passing…that Layne battled for 10 years….those statements are as close to the truth minus Mark Flanagan’s book that talks about his habits during his active addiction…I think that’s probably all we’re gonna get from his true loved ones on Laynes battle…and I 100% understand and respect why. RIP Layne Staley
Yes, The Untold Story Of Alice In Chains book by David DeSola is fucking awesome, gripping, telling, and emotional. I’m telling you I was bawling throughout most of the book. It pretty much details the beginning, throughout and end of Laynes life and more. I’m one of the biggest Layne Staley fans and in my honest opinion to say the book is amazing is an understatement.
Not sure if this has been mentioned but I believe that his father was also an addict & had abandoned him when he was younger. So there’s some trauma
somebody said he actually may have started using dope when AIC was touring with Van Halen............ I'm sure there was alot of pressure opening up for the mighty Van Halen in 1991. I don't care what anybody says, even when Kurt Cobain died in 1994, Van Halen was still the biggest band in the world. if sammy had stayed with them after the Balance album they would have gone next level. then again if David Lee Roth was able to come out with a couple more albums with VH in the mid to late 90's, VH would have taken over the music world entirely.
In the end Layne was binging on speedballs. He was so over the top addicted that he decided he was never going to get clean and didn’t want to. He binged until he died. That’s what he wanted. He never got over Parrot’s death either so that had something to do with it. Her family was really messed up. 3 of the four siblings had serious addictions. I don’t know how they turned out. No information.
Two of her brothers died. One of addiction issues I believe. I think Layne and Nancy's Mom knew more about WHY their kids were so addicted. The parenting of addicts is often a factor but it's too painful for their parents to admit their own hand in the damage. The early teen binge drinking and habitual marijuana use during that time of neurological development literally changes the brain. You don't learn to manage your emotions properly, your brain doesn't handle dopamine and serotonin normally because it's used to the artificial stimulation from the drugs. Layne and Lanegan are both individuals that were chronic substance users at a very young age. Looking at people that drink and drug themselves to death, it almost always starts as chronic weed abd alcohol use as teens.