Drag superstar Bimini Bon Boulash has opened up about their struggles with addiction.
Back in 2021, the beloved talent first made waves with Drag Race fans after sashaying into the workroom for the second season of the UK-based series.
During their time in the competition, Bimini wowed viewers with their stunning runway ensembles, comedic talent, and lovable personality.
Since their show-stopping debut in the Drag Race sphere, Bimini’s star has continued to rise within the entertainment industry.
However, the 31-year-old’s journey to megastardom has been far from easy.
In a recent episode of their podcast, The Pieces, Bimini got candid about their battle with addiction.
“There have been some incredible amazing opportunities, and I’ve got to do some things that I can only ever have dreamed of, but over those years, I’ve battled with addiction, and depression and anxiety, and it’s been a continued cycle,” they tearfully revealed.
“I’ve really struggled to get a grasp on and accept and admit, and I felt so much shame and, at times, didn’t know where to go or where to look, and I felt weak, and I lost myself, but I can’t continue that cycle anymore, and I need to break it.”
Bimini went on to reveal that they first struggled with drugs and alcohol in their early 20s but were able to overcome it for eight years.
“I felt like I was strong. I still had things that maybe I hadn’t dealt with internally, but I’d got over that at one point and I was very proud of myself, and that’s when I kind of got into doing drag after that. It was amazing,” they continued.
While Bimini was able to move past their addiction struggles at the time, they were drawn back into old patterns following their success on Drag Race UK.
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“After Drag Race, I couldn’t even fathom what just happened. I was getting to do such amazing things, and it was crazy. I was so grateful. I remember shooting four covers in a month, and I’m like a little queer working-class kid from Great Yarmouth who could only have dreamt of this,” they tearfully explained.
“And I just couldn’t cope well. I felt so much pressure. I felt almost like a fraud like I didn’t deserve it. There’s so much I want to do with this good, and there’s so much still that I want to do, but I slipped back into a cycle.”
Bimini went on to say that they were given access to a world they thought they were ready for.
However they ended up being “chewed up and spat back out” by powerful male industry figures who would “dangled their career” in front of them.
“I was silenced, and it affected me in such a dark way that I couldn’t cope, and I didn’t know what to do anymore because I was still working,” they said.
The London-based talent also shed some light on their mental health, which they said took a major hit after she discovered friends gossiping about her addiction troubles.
“There was a lot of gossip within the community about what I was going through and my troubles with addiction and my troubles with drugs, and they were from friends that I felt really hurt by,” Bimini explained.
Towards the end of the episode, Bimini admitted that their battle is far from over, adding that they experience both good and bad days.
“It’s been a really kind of difficult few years. It’s been hard to admit that I’m an addict. But I’m not [giving] that power anymore,” they said.
“I have a substance abuse disorder, and this is something that is ongoing and something that I am trying my hardest to battle with and deal with. I will get there, and I know I will.
“I can’t keep continuing the cycle, and that pattern, and it needs to break. And the only way to do that is to admit that I have a problem. And there’s power there.”
You can listen to the full episode of The Pieces podcast, ‘Bimini on Vulnerability, Addiction, and Self-Acceptance,’ here.
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