Justin Bieber opens up on depths of his past drug use and says his guards used to check his pulse

Justin Bieber opened up about his past drug use, saying things got so bad, his guards used to check his pulse to make sure he was alive.

The Canadian pop star, 27, speaking with GQ, said that he was immersed in substance abuse at a time he was not prepared for how to deal with the massive fame and success he had as a performer.

‘It was like I had all this success and it was still like: “I’m still sad, and I’m still in pain,”‘ the Peaches singer said. ‘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.”

‘And 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.’

The Love Yourself singer said his brush with drug abuse came at a time he ‘just lost control of [his] vision for [his] career’ in the ultra-competitive music industry.

‘There’s all these opinions,’ he said. ‘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.’

He continued: ‘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.’

Bieber said he got to a point where he was unhappy and his relationships were ‘f***** up.

‘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?’

Bieber said religion helped pull him through his tough times, and that he faced his maker with existential questions.

The Baby singer recalled, ‘He is grace: I came to a place where I just was like, ”God, if you’re real, I need you to help me, because I can’t do this on my own. Like, I’m struggling so hard. Every decision I make is out of my own selfish ego.”

‘So I’m just like, ”What is it that you want from me? You put all these desires in my heart for me to sing and perform and to make music – where are these coming from? Why is this in my heart? What’s the point? What is the point of everything? What is the point of me being on this planet?”‘

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).