01:40 AM EDT 10/15/2009

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Nick Carter

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Nick Carter: I Made Excuses Just to Party

Nick Carter: I Made Excuses Just to Party

Originally posted 02/19/2009 10:35AM

Speaking candidly about his 10-year struggle with substance abuse, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter says his road to recovery was rocky.

"I would make excuses to just go out to drink and party," he says on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, airing Thursday. "It was excessive ... Alcohol kind of kicked it off and then once the alcohol wasn't doing it for me I would lean on other things."

As for when things changed, "I had a lot of rude awakenings, warning signs, DUIs," Carter, 29, tells DeGeneres. "I realized that it was wrong, [but] I decided to go and sort of punish myself. I went to the classes, did everything I was required to do. Then I'd . . . get back into it. Sort of fool myself in a way."

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Nick Carter: Alcohol & Drugs Almost Killed Me | Nick Carter

Health

Nick Carter: Alcohol & Drugs Almost Killed Me

Originally posted 02/05/2009 02:40PM

After 10 years of struggling with alcohol and drugs, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter knew he had a problem. But nothing could make him stop for more than a few months at a time – not a DUI, a bar brawl, or even his ballooning weight, which reached 224 lbs.

After experiencing mild chest discomfort and fatigue on while on tour with his band in Europe last spring, Carter scheduled a series of tests with a Florida cardiologist.

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."

See an exclusive PEOPLE video of Carter opening up about his struggles

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Backstreet Boy Nick Carter Celebrates His 29th Birthday

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter Celebrates His 29th Birthday

Originally posted 01/27/2009 03:35PM

Tiers of tasty cupcakes. Check. Rock star blow out. Yep. All of your closest pals. Of course! Nick Carter got exactly what he wished for at his 29th birthday bash. After all, he is Mr. I-Want-It-That-Way.

Donning an AC/DC vintage t-shirt on his newly svelte body, Carter celebrated downstairs at the Key Club in Hollywood Monday night. Backstreet buds Howie Dorough and A.J. McLean – taking a break from recording their upcoming album – even came by for a mini reunion to surprise their friend.

"They shut off all the lights and did a surprise for Nick downstairs early in the night," says an onlooker. "They all yelled surprise and they had cupcakes for him."

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Backstreet Boys Back, 'No Hard Feelings' Toward Kevin

Backstreet Boys

Backstreet Boys Back, 'No Hard Feelings' Toward Kevin

Originally posted 08/07/2007 08:30AM

Their new single "Inconsolable" hits radio this month (hear it below), but it doesn't describe how the Backstreet Boys felt when Kevin Richardson told them during a conference call last year that he was sitting out their sixth album, due Oct. 30.

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Nick Carter Calls DUI Arrest 'So Good for Me' | Nick Carter

Nick Carter

Nick Carter Calls DUI Arrest 'So Good for Me'

Originally posted 05/18/2007 04:00PM

Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter has been tight-lipped when it comes to dishing on his ex-flame Paris Hilton's DUI-related woes, but he readily admits his run-in with the law taught him some valuable lessons.

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Nick, Aaron Carter Get in Fistfight | Aaron Carter, Nick Carter

Nick, Aaron Carter Get in Fistfight

Originally posted 07/12/2006 04:30PM

Nick and Aaron Carter came to blows at their home on Monday, the night before they announced their new E! reality show House of Carters at the Television Critics Association gathering in Los Angeles.

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Credit: Courtesy thesmokinggun.com
Nick Carter Ordered into Alcohol Rehab | Nick Carter

Nick Carter Ordered into Alcohol Rehab

Originally posted 06/29/2005 08:40AM

Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter was ordered into a three-month alcohol treatment program on Tuesday in Orange County, Calif., after pleading guilty in Superior Court to drunk driving.

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Credit: Jason Merritt/FilmMagic
Nick Carter Pleads Not Guilty to DUI | Nick Carter

Nick Carter Pleads Not Guilty to DUI

Originally posted 04/15/2005 08:40AM

Nick Carter pleaded not guilty through a phone call by his lawyer on Wednesday to drunken-driving-related charges stemming from a March 5 arrest in Huntington Beach, Calif., says Mark Macaulay, spokesman for the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

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Credit: Courtesy thesmokinggun.com
Nick Carter Arrested on DUI Charge | Nick Carter

UpdatePosted 03/07/2005 05:20PM

Nick Carter Arrested on DUI Charge

Originally posted 03/07/2005 02:00PM

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter was arrested in Southern California over the weekend on charges of drunken driving, TV's Entertainment Tonight and Celebrity Justice report.

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Nick Carter Covers Up His 'Paris' Tattoo | Nick Carter

Nick Carter Covers Up His 'Paris' Tattoo

Originally posted 11/10/2004 05:00PM

Nick Carter won't always have Paris. Last week the singer got a skull-and-crossbones tattoo at a Marathon, Fla., parlor to cover up the "Paris" tattoo he got on his wrist in July when he and Paris Hilton were still going strong.

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