Answer Addiction

Tag: reality TV stars and addiction

  • "Real Housewives" Star Kim Richards On Sobriety: "I Have Complete Clarity"

    "Real Housewives" Star Kim Richards On Sobriety: "I Have Complete Clarity"

    “It isn’t even about sobriety so much as I don’t want it here because it’s going to interfere with what I do,” Richards said.

    It’s been a long road to recovery for Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star Kim Richards. During BravoCon, a convention dedicated to the network that is the home to RHOBH, Entertainment Tonight caught up with Richards to discuss mending relationships and why sobriety has been so important to her. 

    “I don’t have room for anything,” the 55-year-old reality star told Entertainment Tonight. “I have complete clarity. Especially doing my spiritual work and being a Reiki practitioner, I don’t have room to have anything be foggy or… It isn’t even about sobriety so much as I don’t want it here because it’s going to interfere with what I do… There isn’t room for that.”

    Life Is Too Beautiful To Waste This

    Richards, who attended the event with her sister Kyle and her half-sister Kathy Hilton, then got emotional when discussing her rocky relationship with Kyle. 

    “I think Kyle was texting me and I was not having it. And I think, just through the spirit experience, where I’m at, my open heart, my open mind, just kind of put me in a place of… I think I just wrote her and said, ‘Let’s put this down. Let’s put this away. Life is too, it can be too short. I love you and I miss you.’ And she loved and missed me,” she recalled, before adding tearfully, “Life is too beautiful to waste this.” 

    Back in 2017, Kyle spoke with ET about how she once thought about quitting the show because of the strain it put on her relationship with Kim, who left the show that year to focus on her sobriety after a highly publicized relapse in 2015, led her to enter rehab again.

    Returning To Rehab

    Kim spoke with ET that year about the relapse that pushed her to return to rehab, “I love sobriety, and I’ve always loved sobriety. Relapsing was very hard for me.”

    “My heart ached for my children,” she explained. “I felt terrible and I didn’t know how to tell them. I think the phone rang and it was Brooke, and I said, ‘Hello,’ and she said, ‘Hi, so you got arrested?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ and she said, ‘I’m just glad you’re OK, Mommy. I love you.’”

    Kim has been to rehab four times to deal with substance abuse and mental health issues – something, she’s likely to talk about in her upcoming memoir. Kim told Page Six that it was “rough” looking back through her life for material for the memoir.

    “I’ve always been spiritual, but then I really started digging in and looking at really, like, who I was, who I became and who I am today,” she explained. “Only time knows who I’ll end up being. I’m really continuing to grow and it’s been a process. Looking back at my life, every bit of it from the beginning, was very, wow. Some of the … painful parts were tough. It’s been beautiful, too. I’ve grown a lot.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Honey Boo Boo" Star Mama June Hit With Felony Drug Possession Charges

    "Honey Boo Boo" Star Mama June Hit With Felony Drug Possession Charges

    The reality star and her beau were arrested last March following a domestic incident at a gas station in Alabama.

    A grand jury in Alabama has charged reality television star “Mama” June Shannon with possession of a controlled substance stemming from a March 2019 arrest with her boyfriend, Gene Doak.

    According to court documents obtained by The Blast, a review of evidence by the Grand Jury of Macon County, levied felony charges against Shannon and Doak for possession of cocaine, as well as a misdemeanor charge of possession for a pipe found by police during a search of their vehicle at a gas station during the aforementioned arrest.

    As People magazine noted, a conviction on the former charge could carry prison sentences for both Shannon and Doak.

    Arrested At The Gas Station

    Shannon and Doak were arrested on March 13, 2019 after police were summoned by a report of a domestic incident involving the pair at a gas station in Alabama.

    Upon arrival, a search of the vehicle and the couple themselves turned up a hypodermic needle, a pill bottle containing a white controlled substance, and a glass pipe containing white residue, which Shannon reportedly told police was crack cocaine. Shannon also claimed at the time of the arrest that everything in the car belonged to her.

    Both Shannon and Doak had bail set for $11,000, and were ordered to appear in court. A spokesperson for the Macon County District Attorney’s office said that the couple was slated to appear at an arraignment on Friday, September 13, 2019, but both failed to appear before the judge. A second court date was not confirmed.

    A statement issued her WE TV reality series, Mama June: From Not to Hot, said that June had remained in Alabama after the arrest, and was prevented from leaving the state until after the hearing.

    Family Intervention

    As shown on the series’ 2019 season finale, Shannon briefly entered an in-treatment patient facility in North Carolina after her family – including daughters Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson and Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon – staged an intervention in regard to her alleged drug use. But after 12 hours at the facility, she left with Doak and was arrested at the aforementioned gas station two days later.

    Possession of cocaine in the state of Alabama is a Class C felony, which can carry a sentence of between one and 10 years in prison and a monetary fine of up to $15,000 if the amount of cocaine in question is less than 28 grams.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Demi Lovato Inspired "Real Housewives" Star Luann de Lesseps' Recovery 

    Demi Lovato Inspired "Real Housewives" Star Luann de Lesseps' Recovery 

    The singer’s candidness about her recovery journey helped de Lesseps feel like she wasn’t struggling alone. 

    Luann de Lesseps is nearing 90 days of sobriety, and says one of her main inspirations is singer and actress Demi Lovato. 

    The 54-year-old Real Housewives of New York City star first sought treatment for alcohol use disorder in 2017, according to the Daily Journal. This was after an incident in which she was charged with “disorderly intoxication, battery on an officer/firefighter/EMT, resisting arrest with violence and threatening a public servant.”

    She pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

    Then, the Daily Journal reports, she again entered treatment the following year. 

    De Lesseps tells Access Hollywood that Lovato has been an inspiration when it comes to her own recovery. 

    “You know who’s really been inspirational also is Demi Lovato, because she’s been very public about her struggle and I think it’s important,” she said. “It’s kind of a private thing. But there’s a lot of celebrities at meetings, and so I don’t feel so alone.”

    Lovato has long been open about her own struggles with substance use disorder. In July 2018, after more than six years of sobriety, Lovato overdosed in her Hollywood Hills home. She was hospitalized and then sought treatment. 

    In the time since, Lovato has spoken publicly about the overdose and appears to be back on track with her recovery. On March 15, which would have been Lovato’s seventh sober anniversary, she took the time to speak to her fans via Instagram . 

    “Today I would’ve had 7 years sober,” Lovato shared at the time. “I don’t regret going out because I needed to make those mistakes but I must never forget that’s exactly what they were: mistakes.”

    “Grateful that AA/NA never shuts the door on you no matter how many times you have to start over,” she added. “I didn’t lose 6 years, I’ll always have that experience but now I just get to add to that time with a new journey and time count.”

    “If you’re alive today, you can make it back,” Lovato concluded. “You’re worth it.”

    Rough Couple Years

    In her interview with Access Hollywood, de Lesseps also noted that she has a sponsor and touched on some of the stressors in her life that may have contributed to her struggles.  

    “The last couple years [have been a whirlwind] — married, divorced, jail … It’s been a rough couple of years for me,” she told Access Hollywood.

    She added that she’s “at the end of the tunnel now.”

    “I can see the light now, it’s all good,” she said. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Alaskan Bush People's Matt Brown Celebrates Recovery Milestone

    Alaskan Bush People's Matt Brown Celebrates Recovery Milestone

    The reality TV star shared his sober milestone with followers on Instagram.

    Reality star Matt Brown is making the most of his recent trip to treatment by celebrating his recent recovery milestone on Instagram, according to Pop Culture.

    Brown, known for his role in the Discovery Channel reality show Alaskan Bush People, has been in treatment numerous times in the past few years for alcohol use disorder—first in 2016, then 2018 and finally in 2019. 

    But it seems the most recent time could have been what he needed. On Friday (March 29), Brown posted a photo of himself holding a sobriety coin along with words of encouragement. 

    “Afternoon everyone! Hope your day rocks! Never give up never surrender,” Brown wrote. 

    On the post, fans expressed their congratulations and even shared their own stories. 

    “Proud of you and your recovery,” wrote one Instagram user. “Do what you’ve got to do to take care of you. My dad died of alcoholism 6 years ago. He was a great man, and in the public’s eye, so his disease was a family secret. We tried several times to get him help. But you have to want it for yourself. I’m proud of you!! Stay strong. You’ve got this.”

    According to Pop Culture, Brown’s most recent trip to treatment was in February. In early March, the website reports, his parents released $250,000 that he had made for allowing Discovery to document his treatment for the show. 

    Giving Brown the money was a source of anxiety for his parents, a source told Radar Online. In the past, Brown had taken large sums of money as a reason to fall back into his old ways. 

    “He finally got the money that was being withheld from him by his parents while he got his act together,” a source told Radar Online. “It’s really a double-edged sword because whenever Matt gets paid, he goes missing and everyone just assumes he is using again.”

    In September of 2018, before his second trip to treatment, Brown spoke to People magazine about his struggles. 

    “I struggle with substance abuse, and after a year of ups and downs, I decided to return to treatment,” he told People. “I’m really grateful for everyone’s support and hope to have my life back on track soon.”

    Brown’s parents expressed their support for their son at the time, also speaking to the magazine.

    “We miss him terribly, but we’d rather lose him from home for a little while than lose him forever,” said his father Billy. “We just want him to do what he needs to do to get better.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Bam Margera's Family Reportedly Admits Star Into Treatment Facility

    Bam Margera's Family Reportedly Admits Star Into Treatment Facility

    After a series of irate videos hit the internet, family members are reportedly helping the Jackass star receive mental health treatment. 

    After a 10-day stint in treatment earlier this year, family and friends have now reportedly committed former Jackass star Bam Margera into a behavioral health facility. 

    Concerns about Margera stemmed from recent Instagram videos in which he ranted about his wife, Nicole Boyd, Philly Voice reports. The videos have now been removed from his account.

    Then, according to the Philly Voice, another video came to light of Margera threatening his manager and refusing to attend his appearance at a comedy club in New York.  

    TMZ reports that while entering treatment has to do with alcohol use, family and friends also believe Margera may have a personality disorder as well. 

    Earlier this week, Margera’s sister-in-law Kelly Margera posted on Instagram asking for prayers and support during this time. Margera’s wife also shared the post. 

    “Addiction is a scary and complicated disease. A family disease,” Kelly’s post reads. “Giving and receiving help is a process that is not always easy to navigate. What our family needs right now are not your words, opinions, IG comments and Facebook shares. We need your prayers, prayer is a powerful thing, and until you’ve walked in our shoes on this journey with us, you have no idea.”

    Margera has been to treatment three times previously, according to Pop Culture. In the past, he has talked about the death of his co-star Ryan Dunn and how that has played a role in his drinking.

    “I have spent enough time grieving over Ryan Dunn through alcohol,” Margera previously stated. “I’m 39 years old, the party is over. I don’t plan on drinking anymore. I have wasted too much time at the bad and all my friends who needed decades of help are now all sober. I would like to join the sober parade.”

    Margera has reportedly been sober on and off, and even shared a video of himself ending seven months of sobriety at one point, Pop Culture reports.  

    As Margera enters treatment, two of his previous co-stars on Jackass, Brandon Novak and Steve-O, are celebrating milestones in their own recovery. Both have struggled with substance use disorder. 

    Novak took part in in-patient treatment 13 times before getting sober, Philly Voice reports, and he spoke at a drug court graduation recently. 

    Steve-O celebrated 11 years of sobriety on Monday, March 11 and commemorated the occasion on Instagram.

    “Eleven years clean and sober today, and I couldn’t be more grateful… Thanks to everyone who wished me a “happy birthday”!” his post read. 

    View the original article at thefix.com