Estimated reading time: 21 minute(s)
Addiction remains a common illness across the world, affecting millions of people from all classes, professions, and age groups. The feelings of despair, shame, or hopelessness associated with these substance addictions may resonate with most people, stopping them from receiving the help they need. These feelings are specifically more common in high-profile people, such as Hollywood celebrities. These celebrities are also famous for glamorizing drug use and normalizing them in everyday life. One such celebrity who has been in the public eye for extensive drug use and associated issues is Justin Bieber.
Discovered at the young age of 13, this Canadian singer quickly became a pop superstar, earning millions of dollars and sky-high fame within days. This kind of fame, especially at a young age, can come with many negative aspects. In his case, the stardom pushed the singer to the very end, forcing him to make terrible decisions, especially regarding drug use. This, together with an unstable home that overwhelmed him with fame and robbed his ability to acquire basic life skills, pushed him to the deepest pits of drug use.
Fortunately, the singer has now recovered and enjoys a healthy and substance-free life. However, the journey of Justin Bieber addiction and sobriety remains an important story for people to learn and take inspiration from on how to control their lives and make the right decisions at the right time.
Justin Bieber Addiction: How It Started
Because of early stardom, the “Yummy” singer first began experimenting with drugs at the young age of 12 or 13 years. His journey began with smoking marijuana, which slowly became so high that the singer became completely dependent. As time passed, Justin kept achieving more fame and stardom, further pushing him deeper into drug use. The singer admitted to using multiple drugs quite heavily in one of his documentaries released more recently. He explained how he was popping pills, taking MDMA and mushrooms, and sipping lean daily.
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According to the singer’s statements, the daily drug use was an escape for him, just like every other person in the industry. However, Justin believes his experience was different as it was all in front of cameras with higher exposure. With the increasing drug use, the loved ones surrounding Justin soon began expressing their concerns. For example, Ryan Good, a close friend and business partner of Bieber, admitted how he was extremely concerned, especially when the singer started consuming lean. Also known as sizzurp or purple drank, lean is a mixture of codeine and prescription cough medication in addition to soda.
Looking back at these incidents, Justin Bieber mentions it to be a part of his way of managing anxiety. He admits to experiencing crippling anxiety, which went undiagnosed for a long time. As a result, he started self-medicating to make himself feel better. The drug use situation eventually worsened to the extent that Bieber’s security guards would come into his room frequently to check his pulse and confirm that the singer was alive.
Despite the constant fame and riches, Justin still believed to be suffering from a yearning for more. He consistently felt sad and in pain with unresolved issues and wanted to achieve more success, convincing himself that it would improve everything. Until he could make things right, Justin kept relying on drugs as a numbing agent to get through the painful circumstances temporarily. Eventually, the “Sorry” hit rock bottom when his drug use got too out of control, forcing him to lose vision for his career.
Justin Bieber Drugs-Related Issues and Incidents
Within years of achieving stardom, Justin Bieber’s drug use started affecting his daily life, forcing him to do activities that landed him in trouble. For instance, the following examples describe how badly his life was affected due to substance use:
Bieber was arrested in Miami for driving under intoxication, resisting arrest, and driving without a valid license. He failed the roadside sobriety test and mentioned to the traffic police his use of marijuana, alcohol, and other prescription drugs. Justin did not accept the plea deal for his case, which included serving six to nine months of probation with regular drug testing. Moreover, he also denied engaging in an alcohol education course to save his public fame.
Not long after the incident mentioned above, the singer had a police raid at his home where the team retrieved two bags full of marijuana along with five empty bottles of codeine. This incident was close to another incident where a leaked video confirmed the singer using Xanax without a prescription along with Sizzurp.
The tour bus for Justin Bieber’s concert was also busted for drugs on two separate occasions- once at the Canadian border and once in Stockholm. The search party retrieved drug paraphernalia and marijuana on the bus on both occasions but did not press charges as the bus was vacant at the time of the raid.
The incidents mentioned above confirmed the singer’s involvement with drugs and greatly impacted his public profile.
Justin Bieber Addiction Journey: The Informal Detox
Justin Bieber drug addiction journey remains different from other celebrities in terms of the path he chose to recover. While most celebrities prefer joining a luxury rehab established in a far-off location in a luxury area like Malibu, Bieber decided to handle his addictions more privately. As his celebrity pastor and close friend Carl Lentz suggested, the Canadian singer moved into his house to begin an informal detox and recovery process. This transformational process started in 2014 and helped the singer detox from his ongoing Xanax addiction. According to his interview, Karl helped Bieber refrain from drug use by engaging him in different sports to keep his mind busy and distracted.
Hailey Bieber, the wife of Justin Bieber, has expressed how proud she feels for her husband, who has been able to beat his addictions without a program, support groups, or sober coaches. She considers him a walking miracle and believes something like this is brave and extraordinary.
Justin Bieber Sobriety: Lessons to Learn
Being in front of the public eye from a young age placed Bieber in a very delicate and precarious position. Falling prey to addiction, especially at a young age, is not limited to this one example, as many child stars have faced similar consequences in the past. In the case of Bieber, he was introduced to and brought up in an adult environment during his early teenage years and faced the immense pressure of fame, which may force anyone to resort to drugs and other substances for coping. Exhaustion is another factor to blame for this turning towards substance.
Bieber was lucky to get past his drug addictions and seek recovery with the help of his friends and close ones. His journey remains a good example for people battling similar struggles and instills hope that recovery is possible no matter how much the odds are against a person.
FAQs
Does Justin Bieber do drugs?
Justin Bieber has publicly admitted to doing different types of drugs, such as Xanax, sizzurp, alcohol, and other substances. However, he has been clean and sober for many years and enjoys a substance-free life now.
Which rehab helped Justin Bieber fight drug addiction?
No rehab helped the singer achieve recovery. According to his interviews, the singer chose to move in with his close friend Carl Lentz who helped him slowly wean off the dangerous substances while providing constant support, care, and help.
What happened to Justin Bieber’s meth use?
Justin Bieber has confirmed dropping all sorts of substance use, including meth, heroin, Xanax, and Sizzurp. He is now leading a sober life and adopted healthier habits, such as playing tennis and cycling, with the hope that these exercises will help renew his tattered public image.
