Travis Barker Says He Took 20–30 Pills a Day at the Height of His Addiction: “I Had a Security Guard Watch Me Sleep”
Travis Barker is opening up about the depths of his addiction in a way he never has before, and his new documentary lays it all out. The Blink-182 drummer’s story is now streaming on Hulu, and it doesn’t shy away from the hardest chapters of his life.
Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear traces the drummer’s life, career and recovery in the years after the 2008 plane crash that nearly killed him. Beyond the music, the film digs into his struggles with trauma, addiction, sobriety, family and his high-profile relationship with Kourtney Kardashian. For fans who have followed Barker’s career from Blink-182’s rise through his reinvention as one of rock’s most recognizable figures, the documentary offers a candid look at what was happening behind the scenes.
At the center of the film is Barker’s admission that his addiction grew out of an intense fear of flying. What started as a coping mechanism — taking a pill or two before getting on a plane — slowly spiraled into something far more serious. Over time, the drummer says, the dependency became so severe that he felt he couldn’t function without the pills, and what began as an occasional crutch turned into a daily necessity.
At the height of his addiction, Barker says he was taking 20 to 30 pills a day, describing himself as a “functioning addict.” His drug use became so dangerous that he hired a security guard whose only job was to watch him sleep and make sure he was still breathing through the night. In the documentary, Barker recalls reaching a breaking point where he knew something had to change. He began considering rehab, describing an overwhelming desire to quit everything and walk away from the substances that had taken over his life.
At the height of his addiction, Barker says he was taking 20 to 30 pills a day, describing himself as a “functioning addict.” His drug use became so dangerous that he hired a security guard whose only job was to watch him sleep and make sure he was still breathing through the night. In the documentary, Barker recalls reaching a breaking point where he knew something had to change. He began considering rehab, describing an overwhelming desire to quit everything and walk away from the substances that had taken over his life.
The turning point came after his near-fatal plane crash in September 2008. The crash killed four people and left Barker with third-degree burns across much of his body, forcing him into a long and painful recovery. After being given morphine in the hospital, he made a decision that would change the course of his life: he flushed his painkillers down the hospital toilet and says he hasn’t touched any mind-altering substances since. Years later, Barker remains sober, and he has spoken openly about how that near-death experience reshaped his relationship with drugs, his family and his own mortality.
Louder Than Fear arrives at a moment when Barker’s personal life is once again in the spotlight, and the film gives him the chance to tell his own story on his own terms.
Have you seen the documentary yet? What do you think about Travis Barker’s road from addict to teetotaler?
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