Doja Cat opens up about her past struggles with cocaine, alcohol and mental health issues.
On Monday (Aug. 31), the Grammy-winning artist hopped on her TikTok page and shared a series of videos reflecting on her mental health journey while addressing online claims that she’s “demonic.” During her self-reflective moment, Doja offers her explanation of why people associate her with dark imagery, which she attributed to a period when substance abuse, untreated mental health issues, and the internet helped reinforce her negative thoughts.
“The best example from my experience is using the internet as a means of validation to the negative thoughts in my head, which were then brought on by drinking alcohol,” she stated, adding that she never had a severe drug problem outside of weed.
However, Doja later admitted that she had a problem with cocaine eight years ago but had since moved past it. But it’s the undiagnosed mental illness paired with social media that has been her biggest struggle.
“When people engage with me in a negative fashion, and I say stuff back to them, I respond more to those comments because I’m affected more by those comments, but I typically don’t give the same energy back,” she explained. “Once you understand that person is doing it out of their own personal, dare I say demons, it becomes more sad than it becomes angering and irritating,” she added.
Doja also reflected on growing up biracial in a predominantly White neighborhood, saying she struggled with her identity and self-hating when she was younger. But as she matured, she has learned to embrace her true self, noting that she now finds genuine appreciation for her natural hair and her overall appearance.
“I don’t hate myself. I’m not racist. I’m not a White supremacist. I’m not a Nazi,” she insisted. “And I will talk about this more in the future, but I’m going to do it in a different way. I just felt like this TikTok was like necessary and I needed to get this s**t off of my chest. Today felt like the right day.”
If you are dealing with mental health issues, there is help available. Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
Watch Doja Cat Talk About Her Struggles With Cocaine, Acohol and Mental Health
