"I was a total monster," Bixler-Zavala admits during a self-penned essay for Vulture. "There's so much stupid behavior caused by weed, but I always had that cliche: I needed it for creativity. I've come to realize that at the end of the day, it's only you yourself that creativity comes from. It doesn't come from weed."

The singer/guitarist goes on to talk about how modern marijuana has been unnaturally altered to amp up its effects, and feeling bad for "buying in bulk but I didn't really need it," alongside AIDS and cancer patients who use weed to alleviate chronic pain.

While he says that getting high had become "part of his identity," Bixler-Zavala now concedes that smoking marijuana impeded his ability to communicate ("I was…just being long-winded and trying to be difficult for the sake of being difficult").

The singer ends the essay by reeling off the benefits of his new sober lifestyle, and a renewed appreciation for his career in music. Read more - here.

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