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Red Hot Chili Peppers Guitarist Blasts Doctors For Prescribing Him Opioids After 20 Years Clean
![Red hot chili peppers guitarist blasts doctors opioids main](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/AG3TXZ1XX/480x251/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-main.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/AG3TXZ1XX/640x335/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-main.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/AG3TXZ1XX/768x402/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-main.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/AG3TXZ1XX/1024x536/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-main.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/AG3TXZ1XX/1280x670/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-main.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/AG3TXZ1XX/1440x753/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-main.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/AG3TXZ1XX/1600x837/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-main.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/AG3TXZ1XX/2160x1130/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-main.jpg 2160w)
Feb. 27 2018, Published 7:29 p.m. ET
As the opioid crisis across the nations has become more prominent, Michael Balzary, 55, aka bassist Flea from the band Red Hot Chili Peppers, has penned an article in Time magazine blasting the doctors who’ve also prescribed him the dangerous drug.
![Red hot chili peppers guitarist blasts doctors opioids 1](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/oVgcNwTm8/480x307/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-1.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/oVgcNwTm8/640x409/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-1.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/oVgcNwTm8/768x490/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-1.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/oVgcNwTm8/1024x653/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-1.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/oVgcNwTm8/1280x817/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-1.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/oVgcNwTm8/1440x919/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-1.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/oVgcNwTm8/1600x1021/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-1.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/oVgcNwTm8/2160x1378/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-1.jpg 2160w)
Titled “Flea: The Temptation of Drugs is a B***h,” the article detailed the musician’s previous struggle with drugs, even mentioning that several of his friends have succumbed to addiction.
![Red hot chili peppers guitarist blasts doctors opioids 2](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/MpJbfZaCx/480x307/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-2.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/MpJbfZaCx/640x409/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-2.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/MpJbfZaCx/768x490/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-2.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/MpJbfZaCx/1024x653/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-2.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/MpJbfZaCx/1280x817/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-2.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/MpJbfZaCx/1440x919/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-2.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/MpJbfZaCx/1600x1021/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-2.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/MpJbfZaCx/2160x1378/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-2.jpg 2160w)
Then he went on to blast doctors who’ve prescribed him and others the dangerous opioid. He wrote, “When I was a kid, my doctor would give me a butterscotch candy after a checkup. Now, they’re handing out scripts.”
![Red hot chili peppers guitarist blasts doctors opioids 3](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/lwjf-M1SE/480x307/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-3.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/lwjf-M1SE/640x409/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-3.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/lwjf-M1SE/768x490/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-3.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/lwjf-M1SE/1024x653/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-3.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/lwjf-M1SE/1280x817/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-3.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/lwjf-M1SE/1440x919/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-3.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/lwjf-M1SE/1600x1021/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-3.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/lwjf-M1SE/2160x1378/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-3.jpg 2160w)
He continued, “A few years ago I broke my arm snowboarding and had to have major surgery. My doctor….gave me a two-month supply of Oxycontin. It not only quelled my physical pain, but all my emotions as well.”
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![Red hot chili peppers guitarist blasts doctors opioids 4](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/9BTXHLIAN/480x307/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-4.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/9BTXHLIAN/640x409/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-4.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/9BTXHLIAN/768x490/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-4.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/9BTXHLIAN/1024x653/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-4.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/9BTXHLIAN/1280x817/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-4.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/9BTXHLIAN/1440x919/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-4.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/9BTXHLIAN/1600x1021/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-4.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/9BTXHLIAN/2160x1378/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-4.jpg 2160w)
Though he’s been sober for 20 years now following his addiction, he pointed to doctors as part of the problem: “What if your dealer was someone you’d trusted to keep you healthy since you were a kid? There is obviously a time when painkillers should be prescribed, but medical professions should be more discerning.”
![Red hot chili peppers guitarist blasts doctors opioids 5](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/JG2lLx5g9/480x307/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-5.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/JG2lLx5g9/640x409/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-5.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/JG2lLx5g9/768x490/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-5.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/JG2lLx5g9/1024x653/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-5.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/JG2lLx5g9/1280x817/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-5.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/JG2lLx5g9/1440x919/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-5.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/JG2lLx5g9/1600x1021/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-5.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/JG2lLx5g9/2160x1378/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-5.jpg 2160w)
Flea credited his passion for fatherhood (to daughters Clara, 29, and Sunny, 12) for helping him get through the dark times. He wrote, “It was a powerful yearning to be a good father that eventually inspired a sense of self-preservation, and in 1993 at the age of 30 I finally got that drugs were destructive and robbing my life force. I cut them out forever.”
![Red hot chili peppers guitarist blasts doctors opioids 6](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/SEO4q1QzC/480x307/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-6.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/SEO4q1QzC/640x409/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-6.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/SEO4q1QzC/768x490/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-6.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/SEO4q1QzC/1024x653/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-6.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/SEO4q1QzC/1280x817/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-6.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/SEO4q1QzC/1440x919/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-6.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/SEO4q1QzC/1600x1021/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-6.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/SEO4q1QzC/2160x1378/2018/02/red-hot-chili-peppers-guitarist-blasts-doctors-opioids-6.jpg 2160w)
What do you think of Flea blasting doctors for contributing to the opioid crisis? Sound off in the comment section!