Presley Gerber was ‘absolutely terrified’ starting controversial addiction treatment before death

Presley Gerber expressed his fears about a new addiction treatment he was undergoing just months before his death.

The 27-year-old model died at a rehab facility on Sunday, with Allie Jenkins, a representative for Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber, telling CBS: ‘The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.’

His cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Gerber, whose sister is actress and model Kaia Gerber, 25, was open about his struggles in a bid to help others, having long faced challenges from depression and drug use.

In March, he took to Instagram with a video of himself from a Mexican treatment clinic, where he had a ‘pre-ibogaine flood dose’. The Ibogaine Clinic explains that this is when the maximum, medically safe macrodose of pure ibogaine hydrochloride (HCl) is administered to a patient.

The aim is to ‘completely flood and saturate specific receptor sites in the central nervous system’, achieve a ‘complete interruption of chemical dependency’, and trigger ‘massive brain repair’.

Presley Gerber, the son of Cindy Crawford, died in a rehab facility over the weekend (Picture: Best Image/Backgrid)

It’s a controversial treatment due to its physical health risks and potential psychological impact.

Writing in his caption, Gerber recalled the ‘quiet moment before everything changed’ as he stood outside for what appeared to be a cleansing ritual.

He continued: ‘I was absolutely terrified, and I knew I would be again if I ever had to face something like this (helps to not go into the situations you do that get ya there but that’s life sometimes.)

‘My mantras were love yourself and lis [sic] gotta be the last time for this reason. letting go of control didn’t come easy, but I trusted there was something bigger than me guiding it.

‘I knew why i was there. I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, i started finding my way back to myself… We shall see… Praying it’s the last time I have to come back.’

Gerber concluded: ‘Next time I’d like to choose And absolutely can’t forget the incredible caring kind and on-their-s**t team. Helps a lot haha. And I made some dope ass friends there’.

The 27-year-old was open about his addiction and mental health struggles (Picture: Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

In the comments, his family heaped praise on his recovery efforts, with mum Cindy, 60, writing lovingly, ‘You are a warrior! Walked thru the fire to find yourself! So proud! 🙏’, to which he replied, ‘love you mama!!! 💜☮️’

Kaia penned, ‘that’s my brother I am so damn proud’, to which he said he loves her ‘so much’.

Dad and businessman Rande, 64, added: ‘I’m so proud of you and your courage. Facing what’s hard takes real strength and watching you find your way back to yourself is everything. I love you so much.’

His son replied with: ‘thank you pops learned it from you 🙏🏻’

Presley was receiving treatment at a clinic in Cancun at the time. While ibogaine is a Schedule I drug in the US, preventing its use, it is offered for drug rehabilitation in Mexico, where it is not a controlled substance.

It’s believed that the treatment plans at the clinic start at $12,500 for 10 days.

Younger sister, model Kaia Gerber, was a big supporter of his recovery and they shared a close bond (Picture: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Speaking previously about his battles, Gerber told the Studio 22 podcast why he was keen to use his platform: ‘Having struggled with mental health, depression and some other things that come along with that, I think that whether I help one person or a hundred people get out of that place that I was in at one point in my life, that’s all I need to do.’

He added that mental health was ‘such a big part of [his] life’ and a ’24/7 job’.

His immediate family has always had his back, too, and he had his sister’s name tattooed on his arm.

In 2018, Gerber told People that they were a ‘really tight’ unit, and he felt ‘a lot less lonely’ when travelling with Kaia.

And just last month, the American Horror Story actress told the latest issue of Vogue that her big brother faced a ‘decade-long struggle with drug addiction’.

‘When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone,’ she said.

‘I think that’s also why I started to self-identify as the easy one and never wanted to ask for help. Because it felt like too much to have two children who were needing.’

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