Britney HITS ROCK BOTTOM

AFTER A SHOCKING DUI ARREST, DETAILS ABOUT THE TROUBLED POP STAR'S POST-CONSERVATORSHIP LIFE — AND DANGEROUS FRIENDS — REVEAL FEARS SHE'S AT A LIFE-OR-DEATH CROSSROADS.

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AT 8:48 p.m. on March 4, the California Highway Patrol received a report of a black BMW 430i driving erratically at a high speed on the southbound 101 freeway in Ventura County. Officers pulled the vehicle over at the Westlake Blvd. exit and found Britney Spears behind the wheel, alone. Dispatch audio confirms an officer requested a DRE, or drug recognition expert, and the “Toxic” singer was taken to a hospital to have her blood drawn before being booked into the county jail on suspicion of driving under the influence just after 3 a.m. on March 5.

Behind bars, the moment hit hard. “Being in jail was a whole new low point for Britney,” a source tells Star, confirming reports the 44-year-old music icon was extremely emotional. “She was sobbing nonstop and having horrible panic attacks.” Cops released her around 6 a.m.

DRIVE TIME "One of her favorite pastimes is to go for drives in the middle of the night," a source tells Star.

Now — four years after convincing a judge to end the restrictive conservatorship that controlled her life and finances for nearly 14 years in the wake of a mental health crisis — the pop star is facing a frightening new low point. Following her DUI arrest, claims surfaced she was telling people she had a 0.06 blood alcohol content under the legal limit of 0.08 — though officers also allegedly found Adderall, a stimulant ADHD medication, that Britney had recently purchased in Mexico, according to TMZ. “Britney's in a dire situation. Her life has been spiraling for a while but now it really does look like she’s hit bottom again,” says the source. “People in her world are all saying she desperately needs rehab as she’s incapable of controlling her demons and seems to be on a path toward total self-destruction.”