Rick Ross’s new book, Hurricanes, explores his stormy life, including his recent health issues.

“My life is really like a movie,” the actress told PEOPLE after collaborating with Neil Martinez-Belkin on his captivating memoir. Some of the images are horrible, ranging from his horrifying remembrance of a drive-by gunshot to his four-day hospitalization in 2018 due to a seizure.

Ross, 43, admits to taking codeine, a cough and pain reliever, in his book. The rapper’s excessive use of that drug, alcohol, and other substances resulted in devastating seizures, the deadliest of which occurred last year.

In an exclusive PEOPLE interview, the rapper, who no longer uses codeine and leads a healthy lifestyle, reveals the terrifying events at home with entourage members on the day of his most catastrophic seizure.

I had a bad cough and cold from the day before. I took DayQuil and Vicks VapoRub throughout the day. That night, just before going to bed, I had a seizure. But I did not react as usual. My breathing was messed up. My buddy went downstairs at 3:30 a.m. to inform Tomcat that I had s— and was frothing.

A few minutes later, I stood up. Still not breathing properly, I walked into the shower to clean myself up. When police and paramedics arrived, Tomcat sent them away. I had done this before. I would be honest. But then I coughed blood in the shower. Never before had it happened.

Tomcat urged me to visit the hospital. Short Legs led me to the nearest one, where doctors confirmed aspiration pneumonia. During the seizure, I became infected with something in my lungs. Sedated and using a breathing machine.

A year ago, I was hospitalized for a same reason. We never revealed anything, but it was severe. After accepting my plea agreement in April, I had a difficult road ahead. As usual, strenuous driving disrupted my sleep and immunological system. You can guess what happens next. I had a seizure on my way home from Europe. I was hospitalized for a week.

Doctors were more concerned this time. I just returned from playing in Nairobi, Kenya. They intended to detain me in case I carried a virus from Africa.

My mother took over at the hospital as usual. Because she didn’t trust this clinic to handle me properly, she referred me to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, where they tube-flushed my lungs and administered medications. TMZ claimed I was on ECMO, but it was never that severe.

Based on Rick Ross’ HURRICANES. Copyright 2019 HarperCollins Publishers. We reserve all rights.

Ross thinks himself privileged to be alive. Despite avoiding drinks, eating more vegetables, and getting more rest, the beautiful celebrity does not consider himself any less fabulous.

“I still believe in enjoying and living life,” adds Ross, who has shed 75 pounds since his health scare. “It’s slow, but I see my progress.”

Ross aims to inspire at-risk youth to aspire by sharing his life’s ups and downs in his book, Hurricanes.

“As a kid, nobody ever came to me and said, ‘Man, you don’t know your multiplication, but you could still become richer than anybody who ever went to this school,’” recounts Ross, who grew up in Miami Gardens’ rough Carol City neighborhood.

“I’m going to tell some kids that,” the father of four stated. “There are numerous possibilities, even if you were up in an area with a high mortality rate. Authorship is one option. “That is what this book is about.”

Hurricanes, by Rick Ross and Neil Martinez-Belkin, will be available in bookstores and on Amazon.com starting Tuesday.