Nicki Minaj revealed she was once addicted to Percocet in a Vogue cover story published on Thursday (November 9). The diamond-selling artist recalled getting hooked on the drug after it was prescribed to her for menstrual cramping.
“No one told me that this was a narcotic and this was addictive,” she said. “Luckily I was able to ground myself. But—once an addict, always an addict. I feel like if you’ve ever experienced addiction to anything, which I have, you always have to think twice and three times about the choices that you make.”
Nicki Minaj, who has been accused of drug use in the past, did not disclose how long she struggled with her Percocet addiction. She believed celebrities are at high risk for substance abuse due to the public scrutiny they face.
“They eventually either get laughed out of wanting to go outside anymore, like Michael Jackson, or criticized, like Whitney Houston, or they fight silent battles, like Prince,” she said. “These are some of the greatest of all time. And one day they decided, ‘You know what? I’d rather self-medicate and be in my own world.’”
Nicki Minaj is currently promoting her Pink Friday 2 album, which drops on December 8. The project’s release coincides with her 41st birthday.