Today's Evil Beet Gossip

If You Can Believe It, Nick Carter Had a Drug and Alcohol Problem

nick_carter2

You know, I gotta admit, he does look 100% better now that he’s healthy and not fat and yelling all the time. He was looking way gross toward the end there.

I wonder if the newly single Paris Hilton will be knocking on his doorstep again.

Here’s the dirt:

After 10 years of struggling with alcohol and drugs, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter knew he had a problem. But nothing could make him stop for more than a few months at a time – not a DUI, a bar brawl, or even his ballooning weight, which reached 224 lbs.

After experiencing mild chest discomfort and fatigue on while on tour with his band in Europe last spring, Carter scheduled a series of tests with a Florida cardiologist.

But the night before his results were due back, Carter, 29, fell into a familiar routine: “I went out and just went nuts,” Carter tells PEOPLE in its new issue. “I drank so much and I did a bunch of blow. I felt like I was trying to kill myself – because I didn’t want to get the results.”

The years of abusing his body led to a shocking diagnosis: cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle that, in extreme cases, can require a transplant or lead to sudden death.

Faced with the realization that his life depended on getting sober, Carter made a decision: “I don’t want to die,” he says. “I don’t want to be that person people read about and think, ‘That’s sad that he couldn’t stop it and killed himself.'”

After a few slips early on – and some blunt talk from his cardiologist – Carter sobered up and got healthy. At 167 lbs., he’s now in the best shape of his life.

Today, says Carter, life is “awesome.”

Aww, ya know, I don’t even feel like talking shit. This is great news for Nick, and I like that he got sober without making a huge public deal about it. I’ve long felt that an addiction to fame goes hand-in-hand with an addiction to drugs for these people, and when they have a PR field day with their sobriety, it’s not very likely to stick. I hope he continues to live a healthy life and is able to set a positive example for his fans.

But 167 pounds? Is kind of small for a guy for my tastes. Sure, he’s cut, but put on some weight, Nick! I like my men BIG.

48 CommentsLeave a comment