Jelly Roll offered a candid look at his sobriety as he embraces a healthier lifestyle.
The 39-year-old country music star revealed that marijuana has played a major role in his battle with mental health issues and overcoming dependency on harder substances.
“I get into trouble all the time for this, but my stance on marijuana will always be the same: I believe marijuana has helped me in so many ways, with my anxiety,” the Save Me singer shared. Taste of the country on Friday. “This is a hot topic, but really, marijuana has kept me sober.”
Jelly Roll added: “I think a world without weed, Jelly Roll is drinking codeine, popping Xanax and snorting cocaine again. But in a world with weed, everything will be fine.”
The twofold Grammy The nominee admitted that his interpretation of “sobriety” deviates from the conventional norm.
Jelly Roll offered a candid look at his sobriety as he embraces a healthier lifestyle; (photo in May)
The 39-year-old country music star revealed that marijuana has played a major role in his battle with mental health issues and overcoming dependency on harsher substances
“I know I have friends who don’t,” he continued. “I have friends in the program who are absolutely against any kind of mind-altering stuff.
‘I respect that. I have so much respect for those people. That’s just not how my sobriety worked.”
The artist – real name Jason DeFord – has candidly shared his lifelong struggle with substance abuse and spoken openly about the challenges he has faced most of his life.
He was first incarcerated at age 13, held in a juvenile facility, after being caught with marijuana. By the time he was 15, the musician had tried many drugs, including pills, cocaine, acid, mushrooms and meth.
At just 16 years old, DeFord faced an 18-month prison sentence, tried as an adult for an aggravated assault charge stemming from an ill-fated attempt to confiscate marijuana while armed.
Throughout his adolescence and early adulthood, he became a familiar face within the justice system, cycling in and out of prison for a litany of minor infractions, from probation violations to failed drug investigations.
One of his offenses was possession of crack with intent to distribute.
He promised to turn his life around after the birth of his daughter. DeFord, then 23, was in prison when he learned Bailee Ann had been born.
“I get into trouble all the time for this, but my stance on marijuana will always be the same: I believe marijuana has helped me in so many ways, with my anxiety,” the Save Me singer told Taste of Country on Friday; (photo in May)
Jelly Roll added, “I think a world without weed, Jelly Roll is drinking codeine, popping Xanax and snorting cocaine again. But a world with weed, I’ll be fine’
The artist – real name Jason DeFord – has candidly shared his lifelong struggle with substance abuse and spoken openly about the challenges he has faced most of his life; (photo in April)
Now, Jelly Roll is prioritizing his health and is even preparing for a 5K race, a commitment that has already resulted in him losing an impressive 70 pounds since the start of the year.
“I probably lost 70 pounds,” Jelly (born Jason Bradley DeFord) said. People in a new interview. “I really kicked a** man.”
The Antioch, Tennessee native — who recently said he left a meeting with Diddy — then revealed the workout routine he’s been following since committing to getting healthier ahead of the run/walk.
‘I do two to three miles a day, four to six days a week. I spend 20 to 30 minutes in the sauna and six minutes in a cold dip every day,” he revealed, before sharing how he has also changed his diet and is “eating healthy now.”
The Tennessee native started his new, healthier lifestyle in January when he committed to the 5K run/walk on May 7; he was seen before the weight loss in November 2021
Jelly also credits his healthier mindset to his wife Bunnie XO (aka Alyssa DeFord), 44, who encourages him all the time; the couple is pictured in February
While the Save Me star is thrilled with how good the early results of his new health journey feel, he’s far from done with his body and mind makeover.
“I feel very good,” he said, and then went on to discuss the immediate future. “I thought, I’m planning on losing another hundred, a hundred and then some [pounds]. If I feel this good at this weight, man, I can only imagine how I’m going to feel by the time I go on tour.”
Although Jelly has a number of concerts booked over the next four months, The Beautifully Broken Tour with Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay won’t officially begin until he takes the stage at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on August 27. .
The tour takes him across the US until October 27, when he plays the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.