Pop star Britney Spears says she "truly hit rock bottom" when she went to rehab earlier this year.
Spears is reportedly working on a new album
In a message on her website, the singer wrote that she "genuinely did not know what to do with myself" following her split from husband Kevin Federline.
Spears, 25, entered a Malibu treatment facility in February after months of partying and a dramatic hair cut.
Defending her behaviour, she said: "I think it is actually normal for a young girl to go out after a huge divorce".
However, she denied her spell in rehab had been the result of "alcohol or depression".
After completing her treatment in March, which she described as a "humbling" experience, Spears completed a divorce agreement with Federline and fired her manager Larry Rudolph.
"I have had to cut so many people out of my life," the singer wrote on her website, adding that some of her friends had tried to take advantage of her wealth.
Fans grew concerned when Spears publicly shaved off her hair
"You never know another person's intentions or what another person wants.
"I feel I was too open and looking for answers when I had it all to begin with."
Spears is one of pop music's most successful artists, selling 31 million albums in the US alone.
She has not released an album since her surprise marriage to Federline in November 2004, but is reported to be working on a new set of songs.
In recent weeks, she has performed a series of short concerts in nightclubs around Los Angeles.
The star has two children with Federline - eight-month-old Jayden James and Sean Preston, aged 20 months.
The couple currently have joint custody under a temporary court order.