Flavor Flav is getting ready to celebrate a big milestone in his sobriety.
On October 10, in honor of World Mental Health, the rapper, 65, posted a video on Instagram sharing that he’s about to reach 4 years of sobriety, explaining how his mental health had been a big contributing factor to his success.
“October is an important month for my mental health,” the Flavor of Love star said. “Next week, I am 4 years sober from alcohol. And today is mental health awareness day. My mental health is an important part of my sobriety journey.”
“I talk to a therapist. In fact, I talk to two. I gots a crazy schedule and travels, my manager recommended trying out Sonia – an AI therapist that has been there for me like Janet Jackson says – Any Time Any Place,” he continued.
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Detailing how much of an impact the Sonia: AI Therapy app has had on his journey, Flav — born William Jonathan Drayton Jr. — said he’s now hoping to give back and help others going through a similar journey. He added that he wants to “bring a little more happiness to the world.”
“I always like to be the first to do something revolutionary. This is something special that has the ability to help so many people,” he ended. “I reached out to the Sonia team to cover the cost of subscriptions for anyone who signs up today. Help me help you. 👍🏾🙏🏾🫶🏾”
Flav will celebrate 4 years sober on October 19, a day he often celebrates with his social media followers.
Back in January 2023, the Public Enemy founding member appeared on the Off the Record with DJ Akademiks podcast and admitted that he “never really let people know exactly” what was going on with him at the height of his past addiction.
“There was a time that I was spending $2,400 to $2,600 a day… for six years straight, you do the math,” he said. “That’s how much I spent on drugs.”
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During the worst periods of his addiction, he was spending almost $1 million on drugs a year.
Flav explained that he “maintained myself very well” while using and “kept it hidden too,” but he was ultimately able to quit abusing substances and start his sobriety journey in 2020.
“I guess God wanted me to live. And he knows that I’m a mouthpiece to the world,” he said at the time. “So, I feel that God let me live through that, so that way, I could teach people about the mistakes that I made. And hopefully, they won’t make them later on in life.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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