Oftentimes, we tend to take our health for granted. We move throughout the world as if we’re invincible and nothing could ever happen to our bodies. It isn’t until we learn the hard way that we finally take our lesson to be kinder to ourselves. For Travis Barker, that lesson didn’t stick until he was diagnosed with “precancer of the esophagus.”In an interview with Kid Cudi on his podcast, the Blink 182 legend admitted he had a massive weed habit. The only reason he quit smoking was because his doctor diagnosed him early on. If he didn’t stop, it would grow significantly worse. “He’s like, ‘This is your warning shot. Don’t f— around. You’ve got to stop smoking,’” Barker recalled to Cudi.Without the doctor urging him to stop, Travis Barker said he probably would’ve continued about his life as if nothing was wrong. Ultimately, he wanted to be like one of the world’s most infamous weed smokers and continue into old age. “I thought I could be like Willie Nelson and smoke to the day I die,” he said. Barker has constantly grappled with sobriety and addiction throughout his life. While the weed smoking was a recent diagnosis, back in August 2026, he recalled his woes with prescription drugs were fueled by his crippling fear of flying. Travis Barker Quits Smoking Weed after Precancer Diagnosis“I have no clue where that even comes from except for flying when I was a kid and I was with my mom and I saw her terrified,” Barker said at the time. “I don’t know if that really had an effect on me or what it was. But my drug use started from first being able to get on planes because they scared me so much. Then to not only being afraid of flying, but I had to leave my children for long periods of time to go on tour.”It wasn’t until a horrific plane crash where he nearly died that led Travis Barker to drop drugs for good. After being on morphine for six months, that acted as another wake-up call for the drummer.“Instead of ever going to rehab or quitting, I got into a plane accident where I nearly lost everything and I was in a burn center for six months on morphine and I had 30 surgeries,” Travis Barker added. “70 percent of my body was burnt and I never wanted to touch a drug again in my life. So, I don’t know if that didn’t happen to me if I would still be using drugs in some way, shape, or form. But that was my wake-up call. That was my rehab.”Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for ComplexThe post Blink-182 Star Travis Barker Reveals Frightening Precancer Diagnosis: ‘This Is Your Warning Shot’ appeared first on VICE.