Nelsan Ellis died of alcohol withdrawal. Family hopes his death will be a ‘cautionary tale.’

Though he was in and out of rehab, his sobriety never lasted. So finally, “After many stints in rehab, Nelsan attempted to withdraw from alcohol on his own.”

Attempting to detox from alcohol without medical attention, particularly after sustained use for a long period of time, is extremely dangerous. As WebMD stated, “Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is a potentially life-threatening condition that can occur in people who have been drinking heavily for weeks, months, or years and then either stop or significantly reduce their alcohol consumption.”

Nelsan’s family is choosing  to tell the world about his substance abuse addiction in hopes of helping anyone else who might be struggling with addiction. They believed “that in death he would want his life to serve as a cautionary tale in an attempt to help others.”

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