Nivea Shares Heartbreaking Memory From Her Battle With Cocaine Addiction
Following the premiere of BET’s new original series, Finding, with one of R&B’s early 2000s treasures, Nivea, the Georgia songstress became the talk of the internet town as fans welcomed her R&B homecoming with open arms.
For Finding’s debut episode, Nivea revealed her roller coaster of a career that began with her industry breakthrough and record-label stomping grounds, then rippled into her struggle with juggling motherhood and a stable industry career. Her tearful sentiments during the discussion of her career pitfalls and sacrifices amid single parenthood is a personal battle in which every mother can undoubtedly relate. But in a new interview, Nivea gets even more personal with her revelation of a cocaine addiction that she said nearly cost the Complicated songstress her entire world: her four children.
During her conversation with the ‘M+M+M+ Show,’ Nivea was specific in just two drugs of choice that she started years ago
“I smoke weed here and there,” she said. “Never no needles, no crack. I’ve done coke. But no pills. That’s it.” She added that she didn’t use Hollywood’s popular party drug socially because it “wasn’t something [she] felt public with.” For her, using the drug was far more personal and struck something in her that activated privacy. “I had a different reaction than most people,” she continued. “I wanted to be alone. It was a personal drug. I wanted to write, play Sudoku, it put me in my head.”
The drug use pretty much took off from there, she said
Despite coming from a family of addiction, where Nivea revealed that both of her parents struggled with crack addiction, she also found herself falling into the same battle. Fortunately, she was able to recover before hitting rock bottom. “The struggle is real,” she said. I was really caught up with the cocaine situation. It was pretty bad. I pulled myself up out of it, though. In the midst though, I knew that was something I was allowing to happen, which was dangerous and reckless, but I knew I was going to come out of it somehow.”
Aside from the strength of her own willpower, Nivea was blessed with four saving graces that helped rise her from the darkness of her addiction: London, Christian, Navy and Neal.
‘I was about to give the kids up, which I think helped me,’ she said…
“Because without them, I would have died… I can’t live without all of them. I need them for air.”
Earlier in the conversation, Nivea said that she spoke with the father of one of her children, The-Dream, about the addiction. She doesn’t shed much light on that conversation, but we’re happy to know that Nivea has remained healthy and positive on her road to recovery.
Listen to the full conversation, titled Sex, Surviving & Swallowing with Nivea, below.
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