Justin Bieber used drugs as an escape from fame

Singer Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey Baldwin at the premiere for the documentary television series 'Justin Bieber: Seasons' in Los Angeles, California, US. Photo: Reuters

Teen heart-throb Justin Bieber has opened up about his past heavy drug abuse, calling it an escape from the pressures of fame that he decided to stop only when he felt he was dying.

Bieber, 25, has written on social media in the past year about his struggles with depression, drugs and fame, but he went into detail on camera for the first time in a documentary series about his life.