Justin Bieber has come a long way from his scary self-destructive streak. He has sobered up, has been re-baptized, and is now married to his wife Hailey Baldwin who helps stabilize him. Now he is opening up about his darkest years.
Justin Bieber Hitting Rock Bottom
Justin Bieber opened up to GQ about the most difficult period of his life. Fame and fortune took their toll on the superstar. He explained, "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. And I still have these unresolved issues.'"
This was when he began self-medicating with drugs, marijuana, and alcohol. "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."
This is when he began to mistreat the people around him and getting in trouble with the law. "You're a kid and you don't have an identity yet, and you're trying to figure out who you are, and to have everyone saying how good you are, how incredible you are? You just start to believe that stuff. And ego sets in. And then that’s where insecurities come in. Then you start treating people a certain way and feeling superior and above people. And then there's this whole dynamic shift. I just woke up one day and I'm just like, 'Who am I?' I didn't know. And that was scary to me."
He described to GQ how his security team used to regularly go into his room to check his pulse to make sure he was still alive during his countless drug binges. "I was surrounded by a lot of people, and we were all kind of just escaping our real life. I think we just weren't living in reality."
"I just lost control of my vision for my 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. 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 fucked 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?"
Justin's whole world is much more stable and healthy since he recommitted his life to Christianity and now that he has a significant other "to pour into."
"It's just rewarding to be all that you were designed to be. And I believe that, at this point in my life, I'm right where I'm supposed to be, doing what I believe that God wants me to do. And there's nothing more fulfilling."