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Steven Adler, the former drummer for Guns N' Roses in the 1980s, recently revealed why he turned to drugs, which eventually got him fired from the band. The drummer opened up about his drug addiction in the third episode of the Paramount+ documentary series Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80s Hair Metal, which premiered on September 17, 2024.
Steven Adler said that he first started using drugs to fit in with his fellow band members Izzy Stardlin and Slash. He added that while the first two hits made him sick, the third time was the charm.
"Who the hell do you think I was doing them with? When I started doing heroin, I wanted to be a part of what Slash and Izzy were doing. I took two hits, I was never so sick in my whole life. And wouldn't you know what an a**hole I am, I had to try it one more time. And the third time was the charm. I fell in love with it," he said.
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Steven Adler continued he was hurt when he was fired from the band for using drugs. He said he didn't know what to do, so he continued using drugs.
"I've always loved the whole team thing. That's why putting a band together was so important to me, where we work together and create something. And then when my team threw me out, I didn't know what to do. I know I could either have gotten better, or continued doing what I was doing. I continued doing what I was doing. I was that hurt," he said.
Steven Adler was kicked out of Guns N' Roses in 1990
Guns N' Roses went through six drummers in its four decades of existence. Steven Adler joined the band in 1985 after the original drummer Rob Gardner quit. The band released its first LP Appetite For Destruction in 1987 with Adler as the drummer.
Over the years, Adler's drug addiction worsened and impacted his playing, till he was formally fired from the band on July 11, 1990. Matt Sorum, a former member of The Cult, succeeded him. In a 1990 interview with MTV, Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose revealed that Steven Adler had been fired after refusing to stop using drugs, saying:
"Steven didn't leave the band. Steven was fired. We gave him every ultimatum. We had Steven sign a contract saying if he went back to drugs, he was out. He couldn't leave his drugs."
Steven Adler's drug addiction spiralled, causing him to be arrested for heroin possession in 1995. The following year, he suffered a stroke after taking a potent cocktail of heroin and cocaine. The stroke left him temporarily paralyzed on the left side of his face.
Adler appeared on VH1's Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2008 and 2011 in an attempt to curb his addiction. In 2012, he reunited with the current Guns N' Roses members for its Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
In 2016, he joined the band on stage for four of their shows during their 'Not in This Lifetime...Tour.' During the documentary, Steven Adler reminisced about being a part of the band, saying:
"I just loved being part of a team, and Guns N' Roses, the five of us, were a great f**king team."
Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80s Hair Metal is now available for streaming on Paramount+.
