Nick Carter on Addiction: 'It Was Change or Die'
"Backstreet Boy" Nick Carter is opening up and letting fans know that life was not easy for him. In addition to releasing his memoir, "Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It," Carter is giving serious interviews about the most painful times in his life.
"Family legend has it that when I was two years old, I crawled into one of the Yankee Rebel's storage rooms where I was caught drinking for the first time," Carter recalled in his book. "My parents always laughed at that. I laughed, too, for a while, and then I didn't laugh at it anymore."
"I began drinking heavily in my teens and then moved on to drugs at 18 or 19, starting with marijuana and moving up to cocaine, Ecstasy, and prescription painkillers among other substances," he added.
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Carter then became part of the all-male singing group known as the Backstreet Boys, which launched his career into the spotlight and made him a household name. The group enjoyed a great deal of success, and his fellow bandmates tried to help Carter kick his addiction. He instead chose to hang out with other friends who also did drugs and drank a lot. But all of that took a toll on his physical health.
Carter was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart that, in his case, was brought on by excessive drug use and drinking.
"I drank, did drugs, and partied until I was paralyzed and passed out. I woke up in a hotel room with my head pounding so hard I couldn't focus," Carter wrote. "My heart was pounding so loud, I thought someone was at the door. I decided my body was trying to get me to pay attention one last time… It was change or die."
Carter recently gave an interview to Dr. Phil in which he stated that his family blames him for the death of his older sister, Leslie, who overdosed. Her death has led to a breakdown in communication among the family members, but Carter said he has been going to therapy to try and reunite with his family.
"I always had a lot of pressure when it came to my siblings. I became the father," Carter said. "I was making more money than my father did at the age of 14 or 15; I became the provider. I wanted nothing but the best for my sister. When it happened [her overdose], I lay on my shower floor for hours, torn, because I wanted to go to her funeral so badly. It was really tough for me."
Carter chose not to go to the funeral because of tension in the family; he hopes that by releasing his book and telling his story he can help others with their own addictions. The book is dedicated to his sister, Leslie.
