Justin Bieber opens up about fame and drug use on Instagram

"I started doing pretty heavy drugs at 19 and abused all of my relationships."
 By 
Sam Haysom
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Justin Bieber has posted a very long account on Instagram of the effect fame has had on his life.

Sharing a note to his 118 million followers on Monday, the singer described his drug use and the "terrible decisions" it resulted in.

"I started doing pretty heavy drugs at 19 and abused all of my relationships," Bieber wrote. "I became resentful, disrespectful to women, and angry. I became distant to everyone who loved me, and I was hiding behind, a shell of the person that i had become. I felt like i could never turn it around.

"It's taken me years to bounce back from all of these terrible decisions, fix broken relationships, and change relationship habits. Luckily god blessed me with extraordinary people who love me for me."

It's worth noting that despite Bieber's talk of learning kindness and humility, he received criticism earlier this year when he shared a post defending singer Chris Brown.

"The people who have over looked this mans talent ... you need to reevaluate!" wrote Bieber, in an Instagram post which is still live. The original version of the post, per NME, read: "the people who have over looked this mans talent because of a mistake he made."

In August 2009, Brown pled guilty to one count of felony assault on his then-girlfriend Rihanna. The police report, which describes the extent of the assault, can be read here. Brown has also been accused of violent behaviour by a number of other women.

Despite this, Bieber's own personal post has received a positive reaction. A number of his celebrity friends have shared messages of encouragement in the comments, and the post has almost 3 million likes at the time of writing.

Topics Celebrities

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Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.

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