AJ McLean is sharing how he tried to assist Aaron Carter get sober.
Months after the singer’s sudden dying, the 45-year-old opened up about his Backstreet Boys bandmate Nick Carter‘s little brother in a preview for an upcoming documentary on ABC, Aaron Carter: The Little Prince of Pop. He first touched on his personal battle with substance abuse, saying:
“I was a functioning addict. I had been in and out of the rooms since 2001, so for 22 years I’ve been battling my own s**t. I almost lost my marriage, I almost lost my band, I almost lost my life. The last time I relapsed, which would be 18 months ago, my youngest daughter was kind of the nail in the coffin for me.”
Related: Cheyenne Jackson ‘Fell Off The Wagon’ After Decade Of Sobriety
However, the second AJ knew he wanted to get sober once more was when his daughter mentioned she couldn’t acknowledge her father anymore:
“She said I didn’t smell like her dad. That was enough. That pretty much did it for me and I have stayed sober since and I plan on staying sober. It’s a daily thing.”
Wow. The former Dancing With the Stars contestant clearly understands the difficulties of battling dependancy, so when Aaron reached out to him in 2017, he did every little thing he may to get the I Want Candy artist some assist. AJ recalled:
“2017, Aaron reached out to me, asked me for help. I said, ‘Look, if you get on a plane, come out to L.A., I will make sure you get into treatment.’”
And to his shock, Aaron “showed up,” explaining:
“I was shocked, but I was happy, and he checked into a treatment center in Malibu.”
But sadly, his stint in rehab didn’t final lengthy. AJ shared he discovered a number of weeks later that Aaron had left the middle:
“A couple days later, I talked to him, and then he kind of went off the map. I think it was maybe two weeks, so I called my friends at the treatment center, and they said he checked himself out.”
Six years later, Aaron handed away at his dwelling in California from accidental drowning after taking alprazolam, a generic type of Xanax, and difluoroethane, a flammable gasoline typically present in cans of compressed air. So, so unhappy. You can check out the preview for the documentary (under):
It’s so heartbreaking what occurred to Aaron years later, particularly understanding a buddy like AJ was doing what he may to assist him. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know within the feedback under.
If you or somebody you realize is experiencing substance abuse, assist is offered. Consider trying out the sources SAMHSA offers at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or take a look at BeginYourRecovery.org
[Image via Aaron Carter/Instagram, ABC News/YouTube]