I think it’s a little deeper than that. My sense is that it’s not about (literal) hell or a drug trip but more… discovering the rock star life, the partying, the drugs, the enthusiasm. The lifestyle is a drug in itself for many and the narrative to me says it’s that descent into the lifestyle, the loss of innocence, the gaining of experience and the price for it.
After all, once you’re famous, you’re never free any more.