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Nikki Sixx Pens New Song About Addiction Stigma, Opioid Abuse
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Mötley Crüe founder Nikki Sixx has a well-storied history of addiction and recovery, and with his current band, Sixx:A.M., he’s composed a new song, “Talk To Me,” which deals with opioids and the stigma surrounding addiction.
Earlier this year, Sixx tweeted, “We are very proud of something we just wrote/recorded. It will be part of a campaign helping in the fight against the opioid epidemic worldwide.”
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Ending Stigma
As Blabbermouth reports, the song is named after a hashtag, #TalktoMe, launched by the National Opioid Action Coalition, which is hoping to eventually eliminate the stigma surrounding addiction.
As Sixx tweeted, “#TalktoMe is a movement by National Opioid Coalition to use the power of conversation to overcome stigma plaguing opioid use disorder. Join us in conversation.”
Sixx, the chief lyricist of Mötley Crüe and SixxA.M., wrote in one verse, “Look at your hands as you’re dripping those pills. You dance with the stigma, then wake up in chills. You’re not alone. Not alone. Don’t be afraid to survive. You know you can. Talk to me. I’ll be right by your side.”
Sixx Moderated A Conversation About The Opioid Crisis
In addition to releasing the song, Sixx also moderated a panel organized by Advertising Week, where influencers, government and global business executives have talked openly about what can be done about the opioid crisis, and the stigma surrounding it.
Having struggled with addiction throughout his life, Sixx has been outspoken about the opioid crisis. Last month, he told MSNBC, “People are talking about it, and they’re not hiding in the shadows anymore. Addiction is horrible, but suffering in silence is even worse. [Awareness] is the number one thing.”
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Sixx has been especially worried about how easily people can access opioids through prescriptions and unethical doctors.
“It’s the prescription thing that’s really severely scary to me,” he said. “It’s the scariest. I had to go to the street to get it. We were just partying, and then it turned into addiction. But now the kids are just talking, just carrying in their pocket. It is a pill. You can wrap it up in a tissue, stick in their backpack and no one knows. It’s not like a syringe… So there’s a lot of opportunity for really horrible things to happen in secret. A lot of the young kids are getting into it and they’re trading it in the schoolyard.”
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In addition to contributing for The Fix, David Konow has also written for Esquire, Deadline, LA Weekly, Village Voice, The Wrap, and many other publications and websites. He is also the author of the three decade history of heavy metal, Bang Your Head (Three Rivers Press), and the horror film history Reel Terror (St Martins Press). Find David on LinkedIn and Facebook.
