Scott Weiland's Son Noah Says He'd Rather Be Dead Than Live as His Dad Did

Scott Weiland's son is posting some worrying messages to Instagram ... claiming he'd rather be dead than live his life as his father did.

Noah Weiland posted to his Instagram story Thursday afternoon ... sharing a text post written on a blurry gray background which begins, "I'd rather be DEAD" -- a pretty drastic statement, though he tries to qualify it by explaining he'd rather be dead than live as his dad did.

He goes on, "Regardless of all this, it's been a long journey. Can't wait to see him again & thank you for all your support along the way. Won't ever forget this."

The post is eerie ... reading like the beginnings of a suicide note -- though we don't know for sure what Noah means by any of it.

As you may know ... Scott was found dead on a tour bus in Minnesota in 2015. Authorities later determined he died from an overdose of cocaine, MDMA -- a type of old school Ecstasy -- and alcohol.

Noah was just a teenager when Scott passed away ... and he's dealt with similar demons as his father. He was kicked out of the band, Suspect208, due to drug use. Weiland told iHeartRadio the ousting from the group exacerbated his drug problem.

We've reached out to Noah about his post ... so far, no word back.