Justin Bieber Reflected On His 2014 Arrest In An Emotional Instagram Post
Justin Bieber is opening up about a dark time in his life. Back in 2014, the singer was arrested for a DUI in Miami Beach. He later pled guilty to driving under the influence of multiple substances. But a lot has changed since then, and Bieber's current life of low-key marital bliss is totally different from his bad-boy days. Seven years later, Justin Bieber reflected on his 2014 arrest on Instagram, and the post is a tribute to how far he's come.
After his arrest on Jan. 23, 2014, the musician pled guilty to misdemeanor careless driving and resisting arrest, later admitting to police that he had been taking prescription medication and smoking marijuana before the incident. Bieber ended up agreeing to take an anger management course and make a $50,000 donation to a youth charity, and in 2021, on the seven-year anniversary of the arrest, he's ready to address the difficult time.
"7 years ago today I was arrested, not my finest hour. Not proud of where I was at in my life," the musician wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of his DUI arrest. "I was hurting, unhappy, confused, angry, mislead, misunderstood and angry at god.. I also wore too much leather for someone in Miami."
Bieber credited his faith with helping him come this far, adding: "All this to say God has brought me a long way. From then til now I do realize something.. God was as close to me then as he is right now."
He also encouraged fans to embrace God and reflect on how their past has allowed them to grow, rather than be consumed by regret. "My encouragement to you is to let your past be a reminder of how far god has brought you," Bieber continued. "Don’t allow shame to ruin your 'today' let the forgiveness of Jesus take over and watch your life blossom into all that God has designed you to be."
The star ended the post with a shout out to fans who have stuck by him through it all, writing: "LOVE YOU GUYS WITH MY WHOLE HEART."
This isn't the first time Bieber has been open about struggling with fame and substance abuse at a young age. In 2019, he wrote a lengthy social media post about the difficulties of shooting to fame at just 13 years old, explaining that the "ups and downs" of stardom caused him to rely on the substances that led to his arrest as a 20-year-old.
"By 20, I made every bad decision you could have thought of and went from one of the most loved and adored people in the world to the most ridiculed, judged, and hated person in the world," he added.
He's also recently advocated for mental health treatment, particularly in a 2020 episode of he and his wife Hailey Bieber's Facebook Watch series.
"Having help doesn't mean you're weak, it just means like, you know you care about yourself and you care about those around you and you wanna be a healthy individual," Bieber said.
It's clear Bieber has come a long way in the past several years, and he's not afraid to reflect on how he's grown from his lowest moments.
