I stopped taking drugs [in 1983]. There were a lot of things that led up to it. One thing was that a lover died. An ex of mine died in a car wreck and I was really trashed when I found out about it and I couldn't cry. I woke up the next morning and I said, "That's it," so I quit then. It was horrible.
![I stopped taking drugs [in 1983]. There were a lot of things that led up to it. One thing was that a lover died. An ex of mine died in a car wreck and I was really trashed when I found out about it and I couldn't cry. I](http://cdn.quoteddaily.com/images/michael-stipe/i-stopped-taking-drugs-in-1983-there-were-a-lot-of-things-that-led-up-to-it-one-thing-was.jpg)