Paris Jackson is talking about the reasons behind her past substance abuse. 

During an appearance on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, the 28-year-old said her loneliness began when she was just a kid.

Looking back, the singer said life began to feel “heavier” when she was around 8 years old — a few years before the death of her father, Michael Jackson.

“I remember being surrounded by love and playing Hot Wheels with my brother, and then going into my room and being alone for a second and having that sinking, empty feeling,” she said.


She shared that this “chronic loneliness” has been a throughline in her life and played a major part in her depression, anxiety, and addiction. When trying to describe the feeling, she said, “it sucked.”

Using Substances as a “Band-Aid”

To cope with what she called “unmanageable thoughts and feelings,” Jackson used drugs and alcohol as a “Band-Aid.” She has previously discussed her history with cocaine and opioids like fentanyl. 

“I feel very deeply, so I think [substances] just brought me to a more moderated [place]… I could still cry, I could still laugh,” she said. “I think part of it was I simply loved the effect produced by these things, and it just made me feel different than how I was used to feeling, which sucked.”

Managing Her Mental Health Today

Jackson is taking active steps to manage her mental health today. The “Zombies in Love” singer told Shetty that she currently sees a behavioral therapist to help manage her OCD symptoms. She also opened up about her past treatments, sharing that she underwent electroconvulsive therapy to try to treat her depression.

In January, she celebrated six years clean of alcohol and heroin. At the time, she posted on Instagram to remind fans that sobriety doesn’t mean life is suddenly perfect, writing, “If you’ve got this s—, or anything of the sort, you’re not alone. Hang in there, and if no one’s told you they love you today, I love you.”

With her new album, Happiest Day of My Life, coming out on August 21, Jackson told Shetty she isn’t trying to be a “spokesperson for sobriety.” However, she explained that hearing from others helped her along the way, and she hopes sharing her story can do the same.

“Hearing other people’s stories has helped me, so if I can pay that forward, [I] absolutely [will],” she said.





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