Nick Carter (the Backstreet Boy who dated Paris Hilton briefly) has given People magazine an exclusive insight into his addictions and rehab. Nick was involved in a bar brawl and DUI, but wasn’t concerned about his health until he felt weak and had chest pains last spring during a tour. He saw a doctor to investigate and discovered he had cardiomyopathy from years of drug abuse.

But the night before his results were due back, Carter, 29, fell into a familiar routine: “I went out and just went nuts,” Carter tells PEOPLE in its new issue. “I drank so much and I did a bunch of blow. I felt like I was trying to kill myself – because I didn’t want to get the results.”

The years of abusing his body led to a shocking diagnosis: cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle that, in extreme cases, can require a transplant or lead to sudden death. (It’s the same condition that led to the death of singer Andy Gibb at 30 and killed actor Chris Penn at 40.)

Faced with the realization that his life depended on getting sober, Carter made a decision: “I don’t want to die,” he says. “I don’t want to be that person people read about and think, ‘That’s sad that he couldn’t stop it and killed himself.'”

After a few slips early on – and some blunt talk from his cardiologist – Carter sobered up and got healthy. At 167 lbs., he’s now in the best shape of his life.

People

I really appreciate that Nick got back on the wagon, and then spoke about it honestly. Instead of stumbling back and forth into rehab, using each visit as a publicity stunt, he just got his act together. And he looks really, really good. I now remember exactly what I found so appealing about the Backstreet Boys in high school– it certainly wasn’t their music!

Nick adds that following his parents divorce, he’s swearing off romance. His parents divorced in 2003, and he says it was a contributing factor in his addiction.

He recalls, “There was a ton of fighting. The kids would be thrown into the middle, to choose sides.”

Carter’s relationship with his parents is still strained; he hasn’t spoken to his father for many years – and he admits the struggle has affected his opinions on marriage.
The 29 year old is currently dating a salesgirl he met late last year, but insists “I don’t believe in marriage”.

But that doesn’t mean he’s not keen to settle down and have kids one day.

Carter, who once romanced Paris Hilton, tells People magazine he’d like to have a family of his own “someday, a little ways down the line.”

Contact Music

Maybe dating Paris Hilton also contributed to his lack of faith in relationships.

Nick Carter is shown on 10/28/08 outside MTV’s TRL with A. J. McLean and Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys. Credit: WENN