Aaron Carter said he doesn’t drink and doesn’t want fans to think he has a drug problem.
“I don’t need help,” he said. “What I need is for people to understand that I’m human and that I make mistakes just like every other human in this world, but I would never risk my life or my girlfriend’s life.”
The singer gave an emotional interview to Entertainment Tonight that aired on Tuesday.
In it, he revealed details about a recent arrest in Georgia for allegedly driving under the influence and marijuana possession.
The 29-year-old singer explained that he has a fear of flying after the September 11 attacks and opted instead to purchase an inexpensive car for him and his girlfriend to travel in after a club appearance on Friday in North Carolina.
“I made the decision to buy a very cheap car so that I wasn’t wasting any money on rental cars,” he said. “It was a lemon so the alternator was shot and then it kept dying.”
Carter said police approached him at the Auto Zone he stopped at for repairs. He was pulled out of the store, he said, and told officers he had marijuana in the car.
He denied he was under the influence of alcohol and said he can’t drink because of a medical condition.
“I’ll occasionally have a sip of a beer or something like that, but I can’t even drink IPAs,” he said. “I can’t drink anything like that.”
Carter also denied ever doing meth, crack cocaine or heroin. He said he tried ecstasy “a couple of times” when he was a teen, which he said was a mistake.
He said he does take medications for anxiety and high blood pressure and is also on pain medication for a jaw injury.
As for smoking marijuana, the former teen idol said he had indulged nine hours before police arrested him.
“I smoke it for anxiety,” he said. “I smoke it to eat.”
Wiping away tears, Carter said he hadn’t slept in days said he hasn’t been able to stop crying since the incident.
Carter was detained last Saturday night in Habersham County, which is about 87 miles north of Atlanta.
Authorities said he is facing several misdemeanor charges including, DUI, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and possession of drug related objects.