Whitney Houston`s brother has revealed he introduced her to drugs

Michael Houston has admitted he started experimenting with cocaine and crack cocaine in the 80s and his younger sister followed his lead.

During an intense appearance on `Oprah`s Next Chapter` with his mother Cissy, Michael was quizzed by Oprah Winfrey about his and Whitney`s substance abuse.

Quoting a passage from Cissy`s tell-all book `Remembering Whitney`, Oprah enquired: "Your mother writes in her book that you were doing drugs with your sister. You mother writes, `I was shocked and confused, I didn`t understand it then and I still don`t.` How does it feel to hear your mother say that?"

Michael replied: "It`s painful, I feel responsible for it, I let it go so far. We were together most of the time, with her following behind me. I taught her to drive, we played together, everything you do together growing up. And then when you get into drugs you do that together to and it just got of hand, you know? This drug (cocaine) is rough."

Although Michael didn`t excuse his actions he did claim cocaine was a fashionable thing to do in the 80s when it came into prominence in the US.

He said: "You gotta understand at the time ... the 80s ... it was acceptable."

It has long been believed that Whitney`s ex-husband Bobby Brown played a big part in her downward spiral into drug addiction, but Cissy`s claims and Michael`s admission suggets she had tried drugs before meeting Bobby in 1989.

The `I Will Always Love You` hitmaker died in February 2012 as a result of accidental drowning and the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use".

Whitney had an amount of cocaine in her system at the time of her passing.

sections: Celebrities