Justin Bieber has revealed just how bad his drug habit was.
The pop star was 15 years old when he shot to fame in 2009, but as his fame grew his behavior became increasingly erratic. In an interview with GQ, Bieber admitted that he turned to drugs to help numb his emotional pain.
"There was a sense of still yearning for more. It was like I had all this success and it was still like: I’m still sad, and I’m still in pain," he said.
At his lowest point, Bieber's security guards would slip into his room at night to check his pulse to make sure he was still alive. The 27-year-old singer said there were "unresolved issues" driving his behavior.
"And I thought all the success was going to make everything good. And so for me, the drugs were a numbing agent to just continue to get through," he said.
In 2019, Bieber announced that he was putting his career on hold to focus on his mental health. In an Instagram post he said he was focused on repairing "some of the deep-rooted issues that I have" so that "I don't fall apart." Looking back, Bieber told GQ he lost control of the direction of his career.
"There’s all these opinions. And in this industry, you’ve got people that unfortunately prey on people’s insecurities and use that to their benefit," he said. "And so when that happens, obviously that makes you angry. And then you’re this young, angry person who had these big dreams, and then the world just jades you and makes you into this person that you don’t want to be. And then you wake up one day and your relationships are f***ed up and you’re unhappy and you have all this success in the world, but you’re just like: Well, what is this worth if I’m still feeling empty inside?"
Bieber found the strength to change through his wife, Hailey Bieber.
"I just felt like that was my calling," he said of marrying Hailey in 2018. "Just to get married and have babies and do that whole thing."
The first year of marriage was "tough," Bieber admitted, but he and Hailey are now in a good space.
"We’re just creating these moments for us as a couple, as a family, that we’re building these memories," he said. "And it’s beautiful that we have that to look forward to. Before, I didn’t have that to look forward to in my life. My home life was unstable. Like, my home life was not existing. I didn’t have a significant other. I didn’t have someone to love. I didn’t have someone to pour into. But now I have that."
Faith also played a role in Bieber’s turning point, and he openly spoke about it with GQ.
"Every time we mess up, He’s picking us back up every single time," he said of God. "That’s how I view it. And so it’s like, 'I made a mistake. I won’t dwell in it. I don’t sit in shame.' But it actually makes me want to do better."
Related Stories:
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.