Alicia Keys' Upbringing Kept Her Away From Drugs

Alicia Keys avoided the temptations of drugs after becoming famous, because she saw so many lives ruined by addiction while she was growing up in the Big Apple.

The Fallin' superstar spent her childhood in the impoverished Manhattan neighborhood of Hell's

Kitchen, and lived in the same apartment building as addicts and prostitutes.
Upon escaping the area after hitting the big time, Keys knew she would avoid the negative trappings of fame as she had already seen the dark side of drugs.
She said, "I always make sure I stay connected to the real world. The way I avoid temptations, what did it for me, was that I grew up around drugs, sex, alcohol and death - and I think that when you see that in your life, you know what it does to you and have no desire to do it."