Answer Addiction

Tag: pop stars & addiction

  • Miley Cyrus: "I'm Four Months Sober"

    Miley Cyrus: "I'm Four Months Sober"

    The pop star took to Instagram live with her big news.

    Despite the end of her long time on-again, off-again relationship with husband Liam Hemsworth, singer Miley Cyrus is sober and “radiating.”

    “I’m four months sober. It’s the best I’ve ever felt. I’m radiating,” the “Wrecking Ball” singer shared on Instagram live on Sunday (Oct. 20).

    A Marriage Ends

    Cyrus and Hemsworth separated in August, and soon after, Hemsworth filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences.”

    According to TMZ, Miley “tried valiantly to save the marriage” but could not reconcile the fact that “Liam was drinking a lot and using certain drugs, and she wanted no part of it, especially since she struggled with substance abuse in the past.”

    However, Hemsworth’s side denies this narrative, instead accusing Miley of covering up the fact that it was her infidelity that ended the marriage.

    Miley, who rose to fame as the Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, gained a reputation for partying hard, with hits like “We Can’t Stop.”

    “We Can’t Stop” was released in 2013 and attracted speculation that she was singing about partying with Molly (MDMA) and cocaine. But she’s calmed down since then, she says.

    Brief Stint Of Sobriety In 2017

    Cyrus said she was “evolving” in a 2017 interview with Billboard. “I haven’t smoked weed in three weeks, which is the longest I’ve ever [gone without it.] I’m not doing drugs, I’m not drinking, I’m completely clean right now! That was just something that I wanted to do,” she said at the time.

    But her mom Tish Cyrus got her smoking again. “My mom got me back on it,” Miley said last year. Still, her relationship with weed has some clear boundaries. “When I’m just working, I don’t think I function at my highest, most intelligent, most being-able-to-be-as-aware-and-as-present, so I don’t smoke when I work,” she told The Sun last December.

    A New Relationship

    Fans are now buzzing about Miley’s new relationship with Australian singer and long-time friend Cody Simpson. The two appear to be on the same page in regard to partying—they’d rather wake up early for yoga, according to HollywoodLife “sources.” 

    “We both met back in the day when we were partying a lot and had a lot of fun then, but now we found each other in a space where we’re not partying, working real hard, and it just keeps things healthy,” Cody told HollywoodLife at a recent event.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Aaron Carter Takes Drug Test On Instagram

    Aaron Carter Takes Drug Test On Instagram

    The stunt was a response to rumors that he was using drugs.

    Musician Aaron Carter posted a video on Instagram of himself taking a drug test and showing off the clean results last Thursday.

    In the video, he directly addresses Radar Online, which ran a story about what seemed to be a line of white powder and a credit card visible in a recent live stream by Carter.

    “Radar Online, I’m just letting you know, I’m taking a drug test right now. It says for amphetamines, cocaine, MDMA, meth, opiates, PCP, and THC,” he says in the video, presenting the cup. “I’m gonna piss in a cup right now.”

    He does.

    The Results Are In

    In a follow-up video, he presents the results—two lines, indicating a negative result, for every drug except THC.

    “Negative means two lines, one means preliminary positive,” Carter says in the video. “I only tested positive for THC. This is my nasty ass dehydrated fucking piss, so please shut the fuck up and stop what you’re doing, and Radar Online, you have 24 hours to delete your post.”

    Carter needs to prove he’s drug free because it can affect his career, he explains in the video. If there are rumors swirling around that he’s on drugs, it’s harder for him to get bookings.

    “STOP WRITING LIES ABOUT ME AND START THROWING SOME FUCCKING RESPECT ON MY NAME! @radaronline, your ‘shocking drug’ post about me was desperate and completely misleading to whatever readers you have left these days,” he wrote in the caption. “proving you idiots wrong will NEVER get old to me. so shut the fuck up already with your bullshit.”

    Carter recently opened up about his struggles with addiction on an episode of The Doctors, explaining that he began huffing at 16 and was really using it by 23.

    “I was huffing because I was really fucking stupid and sad but this is really no excuse,” he recounted. “I was huffing because I’m a drug addict.”

    Family Drama

    Aaron Carter has also been in the headlines lately as his brother, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, and Aaron’s twin sister have filed restraining orders to keep him away due to “increasingly alarming behavior. In court documents, Nick alleges that Aaron told his twin sister that he has thoughts of killing babies and of killing Nick’s wife. Aaron denied the allegations.

    “I am astounded at the accusations being made against me and I do not wish harm to anyone, especially my family,” he wrote in a tweet.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Demi Lovato Dealt With Mental Health, Body Shaming After Overdose

    Demi Lovato Dealt With Mental Health, Body Shaming After Overdose

    It’s been one year since Lovato’s near-fatal overdose that made headlines. 

    One year after the overdose that sent singer Demi Lovato to the hospital, USA Today laid out her milestones over the past 12 months as she’s gotten her life back on track. After a stay in rehab, Lovato has been focusing on her mental health, signed with pop star agent Scooter Braun, took on body-shaming trolls, and worked on her upcoming album.

    On July 24, 2018, Lovato was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance after overdosing on oxycodone laced with fentanyl. That was just over a month after releasing the single “Sober,” which revealed that she had recently relapsed after remaining sober for six years. She stayed in the hospital for two weeks before being transferred to in-patient rehab.

    Getting Help In 2012

    Lovato initially entered addiction treatment in 2012 after her substance use problems began to impact her career to the point that her management team threatened to quit. She had previously been in treatment programs for mental health issues including bulimia, depression, and self-harm, and was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

    Though Lovato has been fairly open about her mental health and addiction issues, she asked people not to pry and speculate about her issues in a Twitter post following her overdose.

    “If I feel like the world needs to know something, I will tell them MYSELF,” she wrote on December 22, 2018. “All my fans need to know is I’m working hard on myself, I’m happy and clean and I’m SO grateful for their support.”

    Lovato signed with Scooter Braun, a music manager known for getting musicians through difficult periods of their lives, in May. He will likely have a more behind-the-scenes role than a direct influence, according to USA Today and senior director of music for Billboard Magazine Jason Lipshutz.

    “Obviously Scooter has demonstrated an ability to manage difficult situations when it comes to pop artists, from Justin Bieber overcoming his controversy to Ariana Grande dealing with tragedy following Manchester (bombing) in 2017,” said Lipshutz.

    In March, Lovato came down on Inquisitr for an article focusing on her weight despite the fact that her struggles with an eating disorder have been public knowledge for some time. The singer posted a screenshot of the article headline about her “fuller figure” with the message “I AM MORE THAN MY WEIGHT.”

    According to an anonymous source who spoke to People, Lovato is now “very focused on staying healthy,” taking boxing classes and going on hikes with friends in her spare time. She was also reportedly looking happy and healthy at a birthday dinner for her friend and fellow singer Chloe Star Nakhjavanpour.

    New Music

    She also recently posted on Instagram about her excitement around her upcoming album and a chance to tell her own story honestly.

    “You know what’s great about making an album?” she wrote. “You get to say anything you want, be as open and honest as possible and finally tell your side of the story regardless of who might not like it.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Justin Bieber On Past Xanax Addiction: "It Got Pretty Dark"

    Justin Bieber On Past Xanax Addiction: "It Got Pretty Dark"

    “I think there were times when my security was coming in late at night to check my pulse and see if I was still breathing,” Bieber told Vogue.

    Justin Bieber spoke frankly about his past struggles with substance use in a far-ranging cover story for the March 2019 issue of Vogue.

    The pop singer said that his “super-promiscuous” behavior led to using Xanax as a means of “put[ting] a screen” between him and his actions. Bieber said that his faith helped him not only gain sobriety but also brought him to model Hailey Baldwin, whom he married in September 2018. “I believe that God blessed me with Hailey as a result,” he told Vogue.

    In the interview – his first full-length conversation with the media in more than two years, according to Entertainment Tonight – Bieber said that his Xanax use was spawned in part from his meteoric rise to fame.

    “I was real at first,” he recalled. “And then I was manufactured, as, slowly, they just took more and more control.”

    Bieber took his stardom as proof of his own infallibility, and “got very arrogant and cocky.”

    “I was wearing sunglasses inside,” he explained.

    Bieber indulged heavily in the pop/rock lifestyle, which manifested itself in “doing things that I was so ashamed of” – namely, a penchant for promiscuity that he numbed through Xanax use. “My mom always said treat women with respect,” he said. “For me, that was always in my head while I was doing it, so I could never enjoy it.”

    Eventually, Bieber found that he had a “legitimate problem” with sex that was borne from the clash between his values and the emptiness he felt about his stardom. “I think sex can cause a lot of pain,” he said. “Sometimes people have sex because they don’t feel good enough. Because they lack self-worth.” 

    The drug use, too, contributed to Bieber feeling unmoored and out of control. “Drugs put a screen between me and what I was doing,” he explained. “It got pretty dark. I think there were times when my security was coming in late at night to check my pulse and see if I was still breathing.”

    Bieber eventually found help through a detox in 2014, and has remained abstinent from drugs since then without the lack of outside assistance. “To do it without a program, and to stick with it without a sober coach or AA classes – I think he’s extraordinary,” said Baldwin about her new spouse.

    As for his intimacy issues, Bieber said that he stayed celibate prior to meeting Baldwin in order to “rededicate myself to God in that way, because I really felt it was better for the condition of my soul.”

    Now that the couple are married, Bieber feels that “God blessed me with Hailey as a result [of his abstinence]. There are perks. You get rewarded for good behavior.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Backstreet Boy AJ McLean Inspired to Fight Addiction After Mac Miller’s Passing

    Backstreet Boy AJ McLean Inspired to Fight Addiction After Mac Miller’s Passing

    The pop star is throwing his weight behind a new line of home products made to help those struggling with addiction.

    The boy band singer is driven to stay sober and fight addiction with a new line of recovery products.

    Singer AJ McLean is leaning in to the fight against addiction following Mac Miller’s death. Having battled his own addictions in the past, McLean knows Miller’s struggles all too well.

    “I met him a couple of times at radio shows and he was a stand-up guy,” McLean told ET. “You would never know that he had a problem — but a lot of people had no idea that I had a problem. Addicts can hide it pretty well, so all my condolences go to his family and friends. He’s another one gone too soon.”

    McLean himself has two young daughters as motivation to stay sober, but Miller’s passing has given McLean a renewed vigor in combating addiction. He’s throwing his weight behind a new line of home products made to help those struggling with substance abuse, with a special focus on opioids.

    “With what recently happened with Mac Miller, people need to really understand how serious addiction is,” he remarked. “It’s a huge killer and you’ve just got to surround yourself with the right people, go to your meetings and get a sponsor. It’s a marathon, not a race. I’m getting involved with a pharmaceutical company that is going to be putting out some amazing products. One is an at-home opioid detox kit, non-narcotic because one of the biggest [causes of] deaths in the entire world right now is based on opioids.”

    In 2001, the Backstreet Boys stopped their Black & Blue tour to allow McLean to go to rehab for alcohol abuse treatment. He’s been open about his recovery process, fessing up to having relapsed on booze in the past during his recovery. To this day, McLean still does his best to attend at least five Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week.

    These days McLean isn’t just staying sober for himself–he has his wife and two daughters, five-year-old Ava and one-year-old Lyric, to look after.

    “Having a family and looking my two girls in the eye every single night and every single morning —  they’re my lifeline,” he admitted. “They’re my everything. Them and my wife. So, I would never in a million years want to let them see me drunk or high or dead or in jail. I want to walk both my girls down the aisle … when they’re 35! As long as I can hold off on boys, I’m going to hold off on boys!”

    McLean’s schedule is pretty busy these days. Besides raising two daughters and backing a range of recover products, he’s also wrapping up work on a new Backstreet Boys album while also working on a solo country record.

    “I have been super busy trying to finish off my solo record, and this past week — I think, hopefully — we finished the Backstreet Boys record!” he told ET. “So, we can have it come out in October as planned, then tour around the world next year.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Lady Gaga Reflects On Drugs, "Loneliness" Behind Stardom

    Lady Gaga Reflects On Drugs, "Loneliness" Behind Stardom

    “There was a buffet of options. When I first started to perform around the country doing nightclubs, there was stuff everywhere.”

    Six-time Grammy-winning singer Lady Gaga makes her feature film debut as an aspiring performer who falls for a rocker (Bradley Cooper) with dependency problems in the upcoming A Star is Born.

    The confluence of substance abuse and fame is an issue with which Gaga (born Stefani Germanotta is familiar, having battled cocaine dependency early in her career. And in an interview about the film with the Los Angeles Times, Germanotta recalled how she traveled a path similar to that of her screen character, where drugs were frequently offered as a panacea to the emotional turmoil of striving to achieve your dreams.

    In the film—which is the third remake of the 1937 film, with previous iterations starring Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand in Germanotta’s role— Cooper is musician Jackson Maine, whose career is in crisis due to his drug and alcohol dependency. He finds what appears to be creative and emotional salvation in Germanotta’s Ally, a gifted singer. But as her star ascends, his substance issues threaten to upend their happiness. 

    In her interview with the Times, Germanotta said she fully understood the emotional turbulence that was part and parcel of the pursuit of a career in front of an audience. “It’s very lonely being a performer,” she said. “There’s a certain loneliness that I feel, anyway—that I’m the only one that does what I do. So it feels like no one understands.”

    Feelings of isolation and insecurity can spur some aspiring performers to seek comfort in the substances that can proliferate behind the scenes. “There was a buffet of options,” recalled Germanotta. “When I first started to perform around the country doing nightclubs, there was stuff everywhere, but I had already partied when I was younger so I didn’t dabble. I was able to avoid it because I did it when I was a kid.”

    As Us Weekly noted, Germanotta has spoken often about her struggles with cocaine in the past. The publication quoted her 2011 interview on The Howard Stern Show, where she said, “I think that I was lonely and there was something about the drugs that made me feel like I had a friend. 

    “I did it all alone in my apartment while I wrote music. And you know what? I regret every line I ever did.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Demi Lovato’s Alleged Dealer Claims She Knew Pills Were Risky

    Demi Lovato’s Alleged Dealer Claims She Knew Pills Were Risky

    Friends of Lovato’s said they became concerned when they learned that the singer had begun spending time with Brandon Johnson in April.

    The man who allegedly provided singer Demi Lovato with the pills that she overdosed on in July said that he warned the singer that the pills were “aftermarket” and that she knew the risks with taking them. 

    Brandon Johnson told TMZ that Lovato texted him at 4 a.m. on the day that she overdosed, asking him to come over. Johnson said that he brought pills over and warned Lovato that they were not pharmaceuticals, so they were likely to be stronger.

    TMZ has previously reported that Lovato’s overdose was likely caused by OxyContin pills laced with fentanyl and that Johnson got the pills from Mexico. 

    Johnson insinuated to TMZ that they had done drugs together in the past and that they had a sexual relationship.

    After freebasing the pills together, Johnson told TMZ that he and Lovato watched true crime TV. When he left around 7 or 8 a.m. Lovato was asleep but not in distress, he said. 

    However, when Lovato’s assistant arrived around 11:30 a.m. the singer was in respiratory distress. Paramedics responded and administered Narcan to the pop star who went on to spend two weeks in the hospital before going to rehab. 

    Johnson said that Lovato’s overdose had made him realize how dangerous the pills can be. He added that the incident was “a wake up call for [Lovato].”

    Friends of Lovato’s have told TMZ that Johnson is “bad news” and that they were worried when they learned that the singer had begun hanging around with him in April.

    Just a month before the two connected, Johnson was reportedly arrested with $10,000, a loaded semi-automatic handgun and drugs. However, it seems to have been common knowledge with the singer’s circle that Johnson was dealing Lovato pills. 

    After her overdose, Lovato took to Instagram to discuss her overdose. 

    “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction,” she wrote. “What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.”  

    She thanked the hospital that cared for her, and her friends and family. 

    “I now need time to heal and focus on my sobriety and road to recovery. The love you have all shown me will never be forgotten and I look forward to the day where I can say I came out on the other side. I will keep fighting.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Demi Lovato Releases First Statement After Overdose Reports

    Demi Lovato Releases First Statement After Overdose Reports

    “This illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.”

    After 12 days in the hospital following an apparent overdose, pop star Demi Lovato finally released a statement regarding the incident.

    “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction,” the 25-year-old recovery advocate said on her Instagram on August 5. “What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.”

    Lovato was released from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Saturday night. She was admitted to the hospital on July 24, after EMTs were called to her Hollywood Hills home. TMZ reported that she was revived with Narcan, the drug that is administered to reverse opioid overdose.

    Lovato has since been recovering from health complications following the reported overdose.

    “I want to thank God for keeping me alive and well,” the singer continued in her recent statement. “To my fans, I am forever grateful for all of your love and support throughout this past week and beyond. Your positive thoughts and prayers have helped me navigate through this difficult time.”

    Lovato has become a prominent voice for the recovery and mental health support community. The singer celebrated six years of sobriety in March, before releasing a new single titled “Sober” in June, in which she apologizes for a recent relapse. 

    “I want to thank my family, my team, and the staff at Cedars-Sinai who have been by my side this entire time. Without them I wouldn’t be here writing this letter to all of you,” Lovato continued.

    A source told People that Lovato will receive “continued care at an in-patient rehab facility.”

    The singer ended her Instagram statement with a promise to continue working on her recovery.

    “I now need time to heal and focus on my sobriety and road to recovery. The love you have all shown me will never be forgotten and I look forward to the day where I can say I came out on the other side. I will keep fighting.”

    Lovato’s impact on mental health and recovery awareness is revealed in a simple search of the social media hashtag #HowDemiHasHelpedMe.

    After news of the singer’s hospitalization, fans have used the hashtag to pay tribute to the positive impact that Lovato’s dedication to reducing the stigma of living with substance use disorder or mental health issues has had on them.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • The Go-Go’s Talk Addiction, New Broadway Musical

    The Go-Go’s Talk Addiction, New Broadway Musical

    “We only had one tool in our box, and that was drugs and alcohol because there was just so much going on,” said guitarist Jane Wiedlin. 

    The Go-Go’s are back in action with a new Broadway musical and a fresh take on the band’s hectic heyday.

    In a recent interview with People, the LA-based band, known for pop hits like “Vacation” and “Our Lips Are Sealed,” reflected on coping with the onslaught of fame following the release of their debut album Beauty and the Beat, which went double platinum in 1981.

    “We only had one tool in our box, and that was drugs and alcohol because there was just so much going on,” said guitarist Jane Wiedlin. “It was so stressful. You were exhausted, so you’d have to pep yourself up and then you’d have to bring yourself down.”

    Aside from personal differences among the band members, problematic drug use also influenced the break-up of the band in 1985. Looking back, it was a much-needed break from the fast-paced lifestyle.

    “I felt really lost during that time. Now when I look back, I think, ‘Thank God all that happened, because I don’t think I would’ve ever grown up,’” said Wiedlin.

    “I felt I had just become consumed with being a Go-Go, and it took me years to find my identity,” said bassist Kathy Valentine. “It was a real gift because when we did start coming back and playing together, I was able to do it with so much more balance.”

    The Go-Go’s have reunited several times since their break-up to record new music and tour together. But this time, members like Belinda Carlisle and Charlotte Caffey are doing it sober.

    “I got sober. I put myself before all of it,” Caffey told People. “I needed my sanity more than I needed anything else. I was fighting for myself every day, and I’m very happy I did.”

    Last year, singer Belinda Carlisle addressed the extent of her cocaine use over the years. “After three decades of cocaine use, I can’t believe I’m not dead. I should actually look like the Phantom of the Opera with just two holes in the front of my face,” she said last August.

    Now, the band is gearing up for a revival, with a new Broadway musical Head Over Heels that debuted on Thursday (July 26) in New York City. The musical features hits by the Go-Go’s including “We Got the Beat” and “Cool Jerk.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Demi Lovato Hospitalized For Apparent Overdose

    Demi Lovato Hospitalized For Apparent Overdose

    Paramedics reportedly revived Lovato with Narcan before transporting the singer to the hospital for further treatment. 

    Demi Lovato has been hospitalized after an alleged heroin overdose, according to numerous reports Tuesday afternoon.

    According to TMZ, which broke the news, the singer and actress, 25, was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital shortly before noon on Tuesday, July 24.

    Paramedics were called to the singer’s Hollywood Hills home where she was found unconscious. The first responders reportedly revived the singer with Narcan before transporting her to the hospital, according to TMZ.

    Law enforcement tells TMZ that the hospitalization was due to a heroin overdose and Lovato is being treated. Currently, her condition is not known. 

    Lovato has a history of substance use disorder, bipolar disorder and has also battled bulimia. On March 15, 2018, she celebrated six years of sobriety. However, in June, Lovato released a new song called “Sober,” which led listeners to believe she was no longer abstaining from substance use.

    The chorus of the song is as follows: 

    “Momma, I’m so sorry, I’m not sober anymore/And daddy, please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor/To the ones who never left me/We’ve been down this road before/I’m so sorry, I’m not sober anymore.”

    In October 2017, Lovato released a YouTube documentary called Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated, in which she discussed her alcohol and cocaine use. 

    Last October, Lovato also spoke out about her recovery when receiving the Spirit of Sobriety award at a Brent Shapiro Foundation fundraising event.

    “Every day is a battle,” she said. “You just have to take it one day at a time, some days are easier than others and some days you forget about drinking and using, but for me, I work on my physical health, which is important, but my mental health as well.”

    She added that when it comes to her recovery, she puts in the work like anyone else. “I see a therapist twice a week,” she said. “I make sure I stay on my medications. I go to AA meetings. I do what I can physically in the gym. I make it a priority.”

    In the aftermath of her apparent overdose, other celebrities reached out, offering their prayers.

    “My friend @ddlovato is one of the kindest, most talented people I’ve ever met,” tweeted country singer Brad Paisley. “Praying for her right now, addiction is a terrifying disease. There is no one more honest or brave than this woman.”

    Ellen DeGeneres also offered her support.

    “I love @DDLovato so much,” she wrote on Twitter. “It breaks my heart that she is going through this. She is a light in this world, and I am sending my love to her and her family.”

    View the original article at thefix.com