Ariana Grande took to Twitter to praise her brother Frankie Grande for reaching an important personal milestone – 20 months of sobriety, according to Page Six . Calling him a “superhero,” the singer expressed pride at her brother’s strength in the face of his recovery.
Frankie Grande contributed an Instagram post of his own earlier in the day, writing that he “felt joy” but also “felt grief.” “But the bottom line is…I felt. And that is such a gift.”
In June 2018, Grande wrote a letter that was published on People ‘s website to commemorate one year of sobriety. It detailed his history of substance abuse and how the events of the Manchester attack pulled him into a dark place.
After the attack, Grande wrote that he felt a sense of powerlessness over not being able to protect his family. He explained that he simply did not have the tools to handle the feelings that developed as a result of the violent event. In order to manage these emotions, he turned to drinking and abusing prescribed drugs, which he admitted to having done on prior occasions.
Grande described how his life spiraled into a lonely existence of hard partying and substance abuse. He had felt he reached a point where it wasn’t enough to erase the pain and torment he felt.
Eventually, he found the courage to ask for help. Grande offered himself as proof that whatever suffering one may go through, they can become whole again. Stressing that the decision to be sober is a lifetime decision, he now lives “without needing a drink or drug to change the way I feel or perceive my circumstances and outcomes.”
Frankie also credited Ariana Grande’s late boyfriend Mac Miller for helping him get sober. In an Instagram post, Grande recounted all the times Miller supported Grande’s sobriety by giving him gifts and positive encouragement.
“He was the reason I went to the rehabilitation center where I was detoxed safely from all of the drugs alcohol and medications I was taking, when I couldn’t imagine living without them. It was the place where I found the community of support that showed me that living life without drugs was a possibility and I would have never discovered that if it weren’t for Malcolm.”
Grande ended the post with words of encouragement for others dealing with addiction. “Our disease is strong but we are stronger and I vow to work every moment of my life to have myself sober so that i may be there for others.”
