Nigerian singer Inetimi Alfred, widely known as Timaya, has opened up about his previous fight with drug addiction.
In an interview with The Beat 99.9 FM, Lagos, which was posted on the station’s Instagram page on Thursday, the famed musician stated that his battle with drug addiction began during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
Timaya explained how the young boys who lived with him exposed him to Molly, a synthetic substance with hallucinogenic effects.
He described how the drug originally made him happy but subsequently had a negative impact on his health, including weight loss and financial problems.
Timaya acknowledged his past indiscretions and admitted to taking three Molly tablets every day, equating them to medication.
However, the ‘Dey your Dey‘ crooner understood the gravity of his addiction after suffering major financial losses and strained relationships.
Timaya said, “I am not a saint. I have done drugs. Breaking off from drugs was a hell; it was a tough fight.
“I got introduced to drugs during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Everybody was home, and there were those young guys in my house who were always so happy.
“And I was like, ‘Bro, how are you guys happier than me? I am the boss; I have money. What are you guys on?’ And they told me that they had Molly.
“When I took it, I did not understand myself. I was so happy that I dashed all the money in my pocket. So I wanted to just keep feeling like that.
“That was how I lost a lot of weight. I was not eating; I was just happy. How you go, just want to be happy? You are supposed to, first of all, be happy naturally.
“But when you now need substance to make you happy, it replaces natural happiness. So you have to be buying happiness.
“When I said I was taking Molly, I was taking like three pills every day, and it felt like medication.
“I got kicked out of jobs, contracts… people I was doing business with did not want to work with me again.”
Molly, also known as 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, is a synthetic narcotic recognised for its psychedelic properties, which can alter mood, perception, and awareness of one’s surroundings and situations.
