US EditionWhy Billy Idol Says Smoking Crack Helped Him Quit Heroin
Billy Idol credited smoking crack for helping him quit heroin and now identifies as 'California sober,' sharing his story in a documentary premiering at Tribeca Festival.
- Billy Idol, the 70-year-old rock legend, said on Club Random with Bill Maher, `I started smoking crack to get off heroin.`
- After a near-fatal 1984 overdose, Idol recalled turning blue after snorting heroin and warned that heroin withdrawal risks leave people 'horribly messed up,' he said.
- Maher asked and Idol replied, `It worked.` when describing smoking crack to stop heroin, adding he mostly snorted heroin and injected only a few times.
- As a result, Idol describes himself as 'California sober' and said `I really started to think I should try and go forward and not be a drug addict anymore and stuff like that`, he told People in May 2024.
- Media coverage over 2024–2025 shows that Steve Stevens told The New York Times the documentary revealed how severe Idol's addiction was, showing hidden behavior.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Billy Idol says smoking crack helped him kick heroin
"It worked. It worked," the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee shared in an interview with Bill Maher.Billy Idol on Bill Maher's 'Club Random' podcastCredit: Club Random Podcast/YouTubeBilly Idol has revealed the rather unusual way he stopped using heroin.While appearing on Bill Maher's Club Random with Bill Maher podcast on March 2, the 70-year-old rock legend said the way he stopped using the opioid drug was by switching to crack."Once you're tr…
Billy Idol Reveals How Crack Helped Him Quit Heroin
MEGABilly Idol has never pretended his rock-and-roll past was clean. However, during a recent unfiltered conversation, the punk icon dropped a confession that stunned even longtime fans. In a chat with Bill Maher, Idol admitted that when he tried to quit heroin, he turned to another dangerous drug to get through it. Now 70, Idol is reflecting on the chaos, near-death moments, and hard-earned discipline that pulled him out of the darkest years…
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- 37% of the sources are Center, 36% of the sources lean Right
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