Justin Bieber opens up about using 'heavy drugs' and abusing past relationships in candid Instagram post
Justin Bieber is opening up about the challenges of navigating stardom — and life.
The “Baby” singer — who has been candid about his mental health struggles, including depression, anxiety and ADHD — shared a lengthy post on Instagram, touching on his drug use, being abusive in past relationships and contemplating suicide.
Bieber, 25, wrote about having an unstable childhood — his parents, Jeremy Bieber and Pattie Mallette, were broke teenagers when he was born and they didn’t stay together — and then finding superstardom at 13. Despite having “money, clothes cars, accolades, achievements [and] awards,” he wrote, “I was still unfulfilled.”
He said that because he had people doing “everything for me” he never “learned the fundamentals of responsibility." So at 18, he wrote that he had “no skills in the real world, with millions of dollars and access to whatever I wanted.”
By 19, Bieber “started doing pretty heavy drugs,” he wrote, “and abused all of my relationships.” The star, who famously dated Selena Gomez off and on for years wrote, “I became resentful, disrespectful to woman, and angry. I became distant to everyone who loved me, and I was hiding behind, a shell of a person I had become.” (Bieber and his mother were estranged for a period.)
He said, “By 20 I made every bad decision you could have thought of and went from one of the most loved and adored people in the world to the most ridiculed, judged, and hated person in the world!”
Bieber admitted, “It's hard to get out of bed in the morning with the right attitude when you you are overwhelmed with your life your past, job, responsibilities, emotions, your family, finances, your relationships When it feels like theres trouble after trouble after trouble. You start foreseeing the day through lenses of ‘dread’ and anticipate another bad day. A cycle of feeling disappoint after disappoint. Sometimes it can even get to the point where you don't even want to live anymore. Where you feel like its never going to change. I can full sympathize with you.”
Bieber wrote that during his major troubles he “felt like I could never turn it around.” He said it’s “taken me years to bounce back from all of these terrible decisions. Fix broken relationships, and change relationship habits. Luckily god blessed me with extraordinary people who love me for me,” wrote the star, who is a member of Hillsong Church.
That led into his marriage to Hailey Baldwin. The pair eloped last year and are planning a religious celebration in South Carolina on Sept. 30.
"Now I am navigating the best season of my life ‘MARRIAGE’ !! Which is an amazing crazy new responsibility.” he wrote. “You learn patience, trust, commitment, kindness, humility and all of the things it looks like to be a good man. All this to say even when The odds are against you keep fighting. Jesus loves you...BE KIND TODAY > BE BOLD TODAY AND LOVE PEOPLE TODAY NOT BY YOUR STANDARDS BUT BY GODS PERFECT UNFAILING LOVE.”
Bieber has received a lot of support for his post, including from his manager Scooter Braun, who is presumably one of the “extraordinary people” he referenced, pal Patrick Schwarzenegger and Khloé Kardashian.
The post resonated with Kyle Massey, who has also had troubles navigating life after child stardom.
And while Liam Payne applauded Bieber for being “incredibly brave,” he criticized that Bieber’s mention of using “heavy drugs” was the takeaway in some headlines.
Braun also expressed his “frustration” over the headlines — and made up some of his own.
Because of my own frustration with how the press gave headlines about @justinbieber’s statement on Instagram yesterday...I made my own. Yes these are fake but it is what I think should of taken place. @justinbieber I’m proud of you and your courage & your vulnerability ??👍 pic.twitter.com/Oxzaa0R5yA
— Scooter Braun (@scooterbraun) September 3, 2019
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