(AllHipHop News) Rapper Gucci Mane prides himself on his sobriety because few celebrities can enjoy fame without drinking or doing drugs.
The Hip-Hop star, real name Radric Davis, had been struggling with heavy drug use in 2014, when he was imprisoned for weapons and assault charges, and he previously credited the prison stint with forcing him to get clean – although he confessed the withdrawal felt like “death”.
Gucci Mane, who walked free in May, admits his time behind bars changed his life in other ways too, and he emerged a better man.
“It changed me, ’cause it just gave me a time to sit back, evaluate my life and look at all the mistakes, all the things I know that I did wrong and I need to correct,” he explained during an appearance on ESPN sports show His & Hers.
“And to ensure that I don’t come back into this prison I’m just gonna be totally sober… I want to jump every hurdle that’s in front of me, and it takes me having a clear mind. I know my weakness, and being sober is just, like, a big strength to me.”
The 36-year-old admits he loves to tell others he is teetotal, and it’s the ability to boast about it which keeps him from falling off the wagon.
Asked how he maintains his sobriety while living “the entertainment lifestyle”, he replied, “It’s easy to me. Like you say, I live an extravagant lifestyle. And to me, it’s kind of even being more cocky. I love to tell someone, ‘Hey listen, I don’t do drugs. I’m sorry baby, but I don’t want anything to drink, I’ll take a water.’ I take pride in it. I like the responses. It surprises people, and it kind of throws them off. But you know, I don’t want to be predictable. I don’t want to do what everybody else does. I’m doing this for me.”