Paris Jackson Reflects on Difficult Moments During Addiction Struggles

Paris Jackson has opened up about the “really ugly behaviour” she says she displayed while struggling with alcohol addiction.

The 28 year old singer and actress, who celebrated six years of sobriety earlier this year, spoke candidly about her past experiences with addiction during an appearance on Jack Osbourne’s podcast Trying Not to Die.

Michael Jackson’s daughter revealed that she attended treatment “several times” both before and after committing to sobriety, and explained that once she stopped using hard drugs, she realised alcohol had also become a major issue in her life.

Reflecting on how she acted while drinking, Paris admitted, “The behaviour is really ugly. It's really ugly behaviour in a moral way, because I was raised to be kind. Not nice, I couldn't give a s**t about being nice, but 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, just like, how do you treat people?”

She went on to say that she spent “years and years and years” battling self hatred before reaching the point she is at today in her sobriety journey, and shared how she used to justify parts of her behaviour to herself.

“‘Oh, I may be a liar, a cheater, a piece of s**t, a thief, whatever, but I do have a moral compass, like, I was raised right in that way,’” Paris recalled thinking at the time. “What happens when I drink is that goes away. That goes right out the window and I become a very vindictive person.”

The Gringo actress also revealed that signs of emotional struggle appeared long before drugs or alcohol entered her life.

“I struggled with self harm for a really long time before I ever had my first drink or drug. I had weird relationships with overeating and food as a young kid,” she shared honestly. “There was this overall reachy, graspy energy that I only ever really see in other addicts. Reaching for something outside of yourself.”

Back in January 2025, Paris publicly celebrated five years of sobriety by posting on Instagram, “Hi, I'm pk, and I'm an alcoholic and a heroin addict. Today marks 5 years clean and sober from all drugs and alcohol.”

Speaking around the time of her sixth sober anniversary, Paris admitted that the process of staying sober felt “very, very hard for what felt like an eternity” because she no longer had the coping mechanisms she once relied on.