Paris Jackson is speaking candidly about how her struggle with addiction once led her to act against her own values. The 28-year-old singer and only daughter of the late Michael Jackson has opened up about the behaviour she exhibited during her darkest periods and the long road to achieving six years of sobriety. Her comments have resonated widely, offering a rare and honest look at the personal cost of addiction for someone who has been in the public eye since childhood.Speaking on Jack Osbourne’s ‘Trying Not to Die’ podcast, Jackson reflected on the period of her life when her struggle with drug and alcohol addiction caused her to act against the values she was raised with.
What Paris Jackson said about addiction and her moral compass
Jackson was frank about the impact her addiction had on the person she was raised to be. “It’s really ugly behaviour in a moral way, because I was raised to be kind, not nice, I could give a s— about being nice, but kind,” she explained. “Being kind and looking people in the eye and asking the waiter their name so you can write it down on the receipt later, just little things of how do you treat people?”She went on to describe what drinking did to that sense of self. “‘Oh, I may be a liar, a cheater, a piece of s—, a thief, whatever, but I do have a moral compass, like, I was raised right in that way,'” she recalled thinking. “What happens when I drink is that it goes away. That goes right out the window, and I become a very vindictive person.”
Paris Jackson on recognising the signs of addiction from a young age
Jackson also reflected on how early the signs of her struggles began to show, noting that she first sought treatment when she was just 17 years old. “I struggled with self-harm for a really long time before I ever had my first drink or drug,” she said. “I had weird relationships with overeating and food as a young kid.”She described a feeling she noticed in herself that she has since come to associate with addiction. “There was this overall reachy, graspy energy that I only ever see in other addicts. Reaching for something outside of yourself,” she said, recalling going through “years and years and years of self-hatred” before finding her way to sobriety.
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Paris Jackson on life in sobriety
Earlier this year, in January, Jackson shared a glimpse into her sobriety journey on Instagram, posting clips from her day-to-day life, including time with friends, nature hikes and quiet moments alone. Her caption was a reminder that sobriety is not a straightforward path.“Getting sober ain’t always the indication that life is perfect,” she wrote. “A few years in it all got very, very hard. For what felt like an eternity. And I didn’t have the same survival skills I was used to having to cope. I had to learn to live life on life’s terms.”She also spoke openly about her mental health diagnoses. “Treatment-resistant major depressive disorder is a bi**h. So is CPTSD. And OCD. If you’ve got this stuff, 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,” she added.Now six years sober, Jackson continues to use her platform to speak honestly about her past. She is one of three children of the late Michael Jackson, alongside her brothers Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince, and Bigi Jackson, formerly known as Blanket.
