Remembering Layne Staley 20 Years On

The Alice In Chains frontman died 20 years ago today

Layne Staley by Rik Goldman is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0

I snorted coke a few times in my 20s.

It was the ’90s, and I was in a band. There were lots of parties.

And that’s the way it starts. Cocaine is a hell of a drug. Never had I felt so energetic, so extroverted, and especially, so talkative. My mouth ran so fast, that I wondered if my brain could keep up. Turns out, it kept up just fine. As my mind and mouth raced, so did my heart. It was exhilarating, and I remember thinking how easy it could be to get used to that feeling.

And that’s how the goddamned drugs get you. You’re young and reckless, and you get a little taste of something that flips all the right switches (at first) and before you know it, boom. You’re hooked.

Fortunately, for me, I was not a famous rock star, nor did I have famous rock star money or connections, and so my infrequent, sporadic flirtation with cocaine ended as nothing more than a passing dalliance.

The fact that I never got addicted doesn’t make me good or …