Justin Bieber turned to Instagram on Monday night to reflect on the consequences of growing up as a child star. A lengthy Notes App statement posted to social media on Labor Day focused on a difficult few years of his life that included drug use and failed relationships. But the 25-year-old ended on a more positive note, capping the message off with a push for everyone going through similar hard times to keep fighting.
Bieber begins the post writing about his mental health, something the singer has opened up about before. However, it goes on to explain what he believes are the root causes of his issues: Being thrust into the spotlight too young, and not being allowed to live a normal life that would have helped him develop the tools to cope.
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“You see, I didn’t grow up in a stable home, my parents were 18 [and] separated with no money, still young and rebellious, as well,” he explained. “As my talent progressed and I became ultra-successful, it happened within a strand of two years. My whole world was flipped on its head.”
When he was thirteen, his small-town life turned into playing sold-out shows, and receiving universal praise.
“You hear these things enough as a young boy and you actually start believing it," he said, later adding, “Everyone did everything for me, so I never even learned the fundamentals of responsibility. By this point, I was 18 with no skills in the real world, with millions of dollars and access to whatever I wanted. This is a very scary concept for anyone. By 20, I made every bad decision you could have thought of and went from one of the most loved and adored people in the world to the most ridiculed, judged, and hated person in the world."
Bieber said all these things came to a head when he was 19 years old, revealing that he was using “heavy drugs” and that he “abused all of [his] relationships” and was “disrespectful to women.” Bieber's 19th year included getting arrested in Miami Beach for drunk driving and writing that message in the guestbook at the Anne Frank House, to name just two things.
However, the future is bright.
“Now I am navigating the best season of my life ‘MARRIAGE’ !!" he said, referring to wife Hailey Bieber, née Baldwin. "Which is an amazing, crazy, new responsibility. You learn patience, trust, commitment, kindness, humility, and all of the things it looks like to be a good man. All this to say even when the odds are against you, keep fighting. Jesus loves you. Be kind today, be bold today and love people today, not by your standards but by God’s perfect unfailing love."
Read the full statement below.