Justin Bieber has a LOT to say in his new 10-part YouTube series, Justin Bieber: Seasons.
As you’ll recall from our coverage of the first four installments last week, there were plenty of takeaways about some of the creative processes in Justin’s life that have arisen from particularly dark moments and tough times. Further, we learned SO much more about his life with beloved wife Hailey Bieber, and what makes their relationship so special.
Related: Justin REALLY Loves His New Mustache…
But we had to wait until today for Part Five of the ten-part series to really dig deep into some of the most serious stuff that has previously affected Justin.
In the latest installment the 25-year-old pop star openly discusses his addiction battles and even some unseen mental health struggles that have long affected him behind the scenes.
Without further ado, let’s dive deep on the latest installment of the Biebs’ tell-all series, which — trigger warning for those who may be affected — opens up with an advisory that this show “contains raw and honest discussions about addiction and anxiety.”
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The Beginnings Of An Addiction
Justin admits at the beginning of the episode that he first smoked weed at the age of 13 — and quickly became dependent on it. From there, he started drinking “lean” (a narcotic substance long prevalent in the rap and hip-hop communities) before graduating to taking pills, doing Molly, and even trying mushrooms.
The pop star noted the drugs almost immediately became “an escape” for him to avoid the pressures of reality. Hailey added more, too, offering up this explanation of what may have been going on (below):
“I think when you take somebody very, very young and they get horrible, crazy crippling anxiety and it goes undiagnosed and you don’t know what it is you are feeling, you start to self-medicate because it makes you feel better. Just helping not to feel anything.”
Justin’s late teenage years doing drugs and battling addiction were his “dark period,” as manager Scooter Braun recalled in an interview during the episode. And even though he couldn’t see it at the time on his own, Justin now knows how dangerous the situation was getting as he reached adulthood.
The pop star recalled:
“I started valuing the wrong things in this business because there were things dangling in front of me. I was a ‘good kid,’ but the truth is, I never had the tools. My parents never gave me those tools to be a good team player.”
After years of ups and downs dealing with pills, drugs, and bad decisions, Justin ultimately decided it was time to quit, and first met with doctors about getting clean back in 2014.
Even then, though, his future was far from certain. The Canadian performer revealed he felt like he was “dying” throughout his addiction, even going so far as to have members of his security team check his pulse while he was sleeping at night to make sure he was still alive.
The Baby singer explained:
“People don’t know how serious it got. It was legit, crazy scary. I basically said to myself, ‘God, if you are real, you get me through this season of stopping these pills and stuff, and if you do, I’ll do the rest of the work.’ But I never did the actual work. I got off the pills but never went to the root of everything so I just circled back around which most people do.”
At that point, with the physical addiction somewhat under control, it was time to tackle the real issue: mental health.
Getting Clean
Along with tossing out his pills and quitting weed, Justin explained in the ep how he now uses an oxygen chamber (“rich people s**t,” according to Hailey) to better cope with his anxiety. That’s helped quite a bit, it seems, while he noted how he’s also taking medical treatments to flush out toxins and try to repair the pleasure centers in his body after his years of drug abuse.
Related: Justin Gets Candid About His ‘Fear Of Staying Faithful’ To Hailey…
Justin explained it more, acknowledging his usage of the oxygen chamber but also making a broader point about the importance of caring for your body:
“Mental health is so important to get on top of. If you have ADHD or something you don’t want to take medicine, I strongly believe in [the oxygen chamber], it’s not the only answer but it can help you. So, that’s my advice to you. But I have abused my body in the past and now I am just in the recovery process, trying to make sure I am taking care of my body and taking care of the vessel that God’s given me.”
Amen!
Lyme Disease Strikes
Later in the episode, the pop prince dropped an interesting little tidbit: after struggling with his overall energy for some time, he took a battery of tests and was eventually diagnosed with Lyme disease — the “fastest growing bacterial infection in the United States right now,” according to one of his doctors. The disease “can cause a whole spectrum of neuropsychiatric symptoms,” including mood swings, irritability, depression, anxiety, and when Justin was finally diagnosed, things started to make sense.
Hailey clearly sounded thankful about the disease being (finally) properly diagnosed, admitting to the camera:
“Now that we have all the answers, we know how to alleviate it and fix it. I think he’s honestly not only healthier than he’s ever been, but he’s on the road to maintaining a healthier life than he ever has.”
That’s what we love to hear!
Working Towards A Happy Ending
The episode ends on a decidedly high note, thankfully, with Justin looking forward to his healthy, sustainable future without drugs, pills, or other addictions. Better still, it sounds like he’s now really taking the time to appreciate the gifts and talents he’s been given, and from the sound of it, he’s intent on not letting them go to waste.
Related: Selena Gomez Details ‘Emotional Abuse’ During Relationship With Justin
Speaking candidly at the end of the episode, the What Do You Mean? singer said:
“There are so many people who have gifts or an opportunity to make a change. And they end up losing it or using their gifts for selfish reasons. I see so many talented people and it feels like they’re wasting something so precious. It’s up to us as individuals to use the gifts that we’ve been given to contribute. I just also want to say you’re not alone. Life is worth living. If you’re not going to give up, the only thing to do is push forward. That’s it.”
Well said!
What do U think, Perezcious readers? It’s clear JB has been through some s**t, but it sounds like his life has greatly stabilized recently — and it feels like Hailey has had a big part in that, too!
If you have YouTube Premium, you can watch the entire episode (below)!
Sound off with your reactions to this new episode and more in the comments (below)…
[Image via Justin Bieber/YouTube.]
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