Answer Addiction

Tag: reality TV stars

  • Teen Mom Star Amber Portwood Discusses Past Drug Use

    Teen Mom Star Amber Portwood Discusses Past Drug Use

    “I was a horrible opiate addict. I would probably do 10 to 20 hydros — if they didn’t have hydros it would be OxyContin or oxycodone.”

    MTV star Amber Portwood recently spoke out about her battle with drug use and her rock bottom. 

    According to US Magazine, the 28-year-old — who is known for her roles on MTV’s 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom and Teen Mom OG — recently spoke about her history of drug use on an episode of the Dopey Podcast. 

    “I have really horrible anger problems because I’m bipolar and borderline, which is not an excuse, but at the time I didn’t know it, so I wasn’t really taking care of myself or really understanding why I was feeling certain emotions,” Portwood said on the podcast. “I’d go party every other day. I’d be a Wednesday, I’m at the f—king bar and whopping ass and s—t, just like getting kicked out of bars or I got kicked out of our Walmart.”

    She added, “There’s like pictures of me beating up a girl in iHop. It was just crazy. I don’t know where the hell I was. I was gone. You can blame the drugs for the most part for kind of being impulsive, but it was kind of just me as a person.”

    Portwood’s involvement with MTV dates back to 2009, during the first season of 16 and Pregnant. According to US magazine, she says the “money didn’t help” with her struggles with drugs.

    However, she also stated that she does not blame MTV for those struggles. 

    “When you’re making a lot of money, there’s more drugs,” Portwood said on the podcast. “Every time a drug dealer had a new stash, of whatever, they called me first because they knew I’d buy the whole [stash], because I had the money to do it. It never helps.”

    “I was a horrible opiate addict,” she continued. “I would probably do 10 to 20 hydros — if they didn’t have hydros it would be OxyContin or oxycodone … any kind of opiate that they had, I would try to take. I think it was that feeling of just kind of not being aware that I liked .. I think back in the day I was probably depressed and s—t. That was my ‘go-to’ thing.”

    Over the years, Portwood’s drug use has landed her in various difficult positions. In December 2011, according to US Magazine, she was arrested for violating probation after she pleaded guilty to two counts of domestic battery. Then, in 2012, she chose to step away from her court-ordered treatment program and serve five years in prison instead. 

    On the podcast, Portwood explained that her rock bottom came at her grandmother’s house and that was her reasoning for deciding to serve time.

    “Nothing else was working,” she said. “I had overdosed at my grandma’s house on fentanyl in the bathroom. It was daylight when I was awake … I woke up on the floor, like, just drooling out of my mouth. It was nighttime, I had no clue how long I had been in there,” she revealed.

    Despite her history with drugs, Portwood states she can now drink in small amounts. 

    “Now I can have a glass of wine every now and again,” she said. “It’s not every day. It’s not every month.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino Celebrates Another Sober Milestone

    Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino Celebrates Another Sober Milestone

    Sorrentino announced his new sober milestone on Instagram and was showered with praise by his “Jersey Shore” castmates. 

    Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino has come a long way from his booze-fueled days on MTV’s Jersey Shore. The 36-year-old TV personality celebrated 33 months of sobriety on Saturday, announcing the milestone with a post on his Instagram account. “33 Months Clean & Sober #cleanchallenge,” he wrote. “Went from running into a wall to down on one knee. We do recover.”

    Sorrentino also tagged the Discovery Institute in his post, which he’s previously credited for helping him beat his addiction to alcohol and prescription painkillers.

    And despite having gone through a full year of treatment at Discovery (including both inpatient and outpatient counseling), he wasn’t initially sold on the idea.

    “I’ll be honest, I hated everything about [addiction treatment],” Sorrentino said. “But … I wanted better for myself and I was going to do whatever it takes to get there.” He noted that Discovery made him “humble” and that treatment forced him to understand that he didn’t have all the answers. “It costs zero dollars to be a kind person,” he added.

    Sorrentino’s Instagram post was applauded by several of his fellow Jersey Shore castmates, too. Former co-star Angelina Pivarnick commented “resilience,” while Snooki said “I am legit crying I’m so proud of you.” Sorrentino recently told E! News that he hopes to be a “good example” for the “recovery world” and demonstrate to others that it’s “possible to have fun and dance in the club without drinking.”

    That said, he admitted to People that shooting Jersey Shore Family Vacation in Miami Beach wasn’t without its problems. 

    “I had a very strong foundation for my recovery with over two years when I entered the house,” he said of the new show. “But I did have to challenge myself to go out and film a whole season of Jersey Shore and have fun without alcohol—to show the youth out there that it is possible.”

    He claimed that “it took a lot of hard work just to get there” as well as having to “challenge myself to do my job and be funny and be myself.”

    Following Jersey Shore’s cancellation in 2012, Sorrentino took to drugs and alcohol, eventually spending 60 days in rehab. “I had a year to settle down and find out who I was, and I wasn’t in the best shape,” Sorrentino told People. “I had to rebuild myself inside and out.”

    Unfortunately, after two years of sobriety, Sorrentino was indicted (along with his brother) with tax fraud on nearly $9 million of income. He was also prescribed painkillers (Sorrentino’s personal “drug of choice”) after cracking his ribs at the gym, which caused him to relapse.

    Now, with nearly three years of sobriety under his belt, Sorrentino appears to finally have his life in order: “I live my life today at peace. I try not to have any arguments,” he told E! News. “I mean, everything in my life has changed. I don’t speed. I don’t get into fights. I don’t get into arguments. I really feel awesome today.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Ex-Boyfriend of Bethenny Frankel Dies From Apparent Overdose

    Ex-Boyfriend of Bethenny Frankel Dies From Apparent Overdose

    Dennis Shields appeared on several “Real Housewives of New York” episodes alongside Frankel.

    Dennis Shields, who dated the Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel, was found dead in his apartment in the Trump Tower from what police sources reported as a suspected overdose.

    The 51-year-old, who appeared in several episodes of the Bravo reality show, was reported to have asked his assistant to administer the overdose reversal drug Narcan at around 9 a.m. on August 10; the New York Police Department confirmed that they responded to a 911 call that morning in regard to an unconscious male, who was pronounced “deceased on scene” by emergency medical services. 

    The medical examiner’s office stated that a report on the cause and manner of Shields’ death will be released after completion of an investigation.

    Shields was the CEO of the litigation-funding firm LawCash and oversaw several other finance-related companies. He had known Frankel for nearly three decades through her friendship with his wife, Jill Shields, and began dating her after their separation in 2016.

    Their relationship traversed on-and-off arcs for several years, which was showcased on Real Housewives, and while the couple was reportedly apart at the time of Shields’ death, a source reported that they remained close.

    As both TMZ and the New York Post reported, a spokeperson for the NYPD confirmed that officers responded to a 911 call for an unresponsive male at Shields’ corner apartment on the 42nd floor of Trump Tower at approximately 9:19 a.m. on the 10th.

    Sources told TMZ that Shields had asked his assistant to give him a dose of Narcan before slipping into unconsciousness. The medication failed to revive him.

    Emergency medical responders reported that Shields was pronounced dead at the scene; though cause of death was not given, sources told TMZ that oxycodone may have been involved in the overdose. According to the New York Times, it is not clear if the drug was prescribed for Shields.

    In a statement to People, Shields’ estranged wife, Jill Shields, said, “We are all heartbroken. Dennis was, and will always be, the love of my life. His spirit lives on in our children and our future grandchildren.” She also posted photos of Shields and their four children on her Instagram account.

    Frankel also took to Instagram to pay tribute to Shields. She posted a photo of Shields laying beside her dog with the caption, “Rest In Peace my sweet babies who gave me endless unconditional love. #nowandforever.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Breaking Amish" Star Almost Died of Heroin Overdose

    "Breaking Amish" Star Almost Died of Heroin Overdose

    Reality star Sabrina Burkholder opened up about the overdose on Facebook.

    Sabrina Burkholder, a star of TLC’s reality television series Breaking Amish, revealed to her fans on Facebook that she recently suffered from an overdose that nearly took her life. She wrote that the incident happened while she and her boyfriend Jethro were out and about in June.

    “A few days before my 32nd birthday, almost 2 months ago, Jethro and I were with our friend Sean in York County, PA,” she wrote on the Facebook post. “I was almost a year clean from heroin. For whatever reason that day, I was in a mood. We all were.”

    Her friend Sean then produced drugs for the trio to take.

    “We did the molly and then Sean did some heroin and handed me a capful of it. I asked him if it was all for me because it looked like a lot. He was like ‘Yeah happy birthday.’ So I mixed it up and shot it,” she recalled on the post.

    The next thing she knew, she woke up to paramedics and her distressed boyfriend around her.

    “I remember feeling very weird and that was my last conscious thought. Half an hour later I woke up surrounded by paramedics,” she continued the post. “I remember seeing Jethro staring at me with tears running down his face. And I was suddenly hit with memories of what happened when I was dead. Yes, dead.”

    It turns out that while she was unconscious, both Sean and Jethro were fighting for her life.

    “Sean did CPR on me and kept on going even after my heart had stopped beating. Jethro was kneeling on the ground crying out to God to save me,” she wrote in the post. “Sean and Jethro both told me later that Sean tried to stop after he realized I was gone, but Jethro kept screaming at him to keep on going and wouldn’t let him stop giving me CPR.”

    Fortunately, paramedics were able to revive her with Narcan, which reversed the effects of the overdose to keep her alive.

    “They had to narcan me twice to bring me back. They only had 2 narcans on them; had I needed another, I wouldn’t be here,” she recalled. “That experience shook me to my core and forced me to look at the shitty person I’ve allowed myself to become.”

    Burkholder is now focused on recovery, according to a more recent post.

    “Trying not to lose my mind on this road trip… I am so excited to get to rehab,” she wrote on August 4. “3 more hours of this bs and then I’m off the map. Adios.”

    The incident represents only the latest of her struggles. On the show Breaking Amish, Burkholder was one of a handful of Amish or Mennonite people who traveled to New York to experience the outside world. Fans of the show have been following her struggle with sobriety since season one in 2012.

    In 2017, Burkholder was charged with manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal conspiracy.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Bam Margera Discusses DUI, Rehab

    Bam Margera Discusses DUI, Rehab

    After attending a Jackass reunion earlier this year, Margera says he had “the pleasure of getting a DUI” which led to him entering treatment for a month.

    Back in January, pro-skating star and Jackass alumni Bam Margera was arrested for driving under the influence. TMZ reported that Margera was sentenced for his DUI in April, where in lieu of jail time he was given three years of probation, and had to attend mandatory alcohol programs and AA meetings. 

    Margera subsequently checked into rehab about a week after his DUI arrest. He recently opened up to Revolver about his DUI, rehab, and smoking weed with Snoop Dogg.

    “Last fall, I attended a surprise Jackass reunion at the Rainbow Bar and Grill in Hollywood where, as you can imagine, the beers flowed all night,” he says. “Long story short, as I drove away from the party, not knowing where I was headed, I pulled over to try and figure it out. That’s when I noticed the police lights behind me. I was like, ‘Fuck, I’m pulled over.’ As it turned out, the police had actually pulled someone else over right behind me, and then came to my car to see why I was just sitting there. So yeah, I had the pleasure of getting a DUI that night that led to my being in a treatment center for a month.”

    Before he got busted, Margera spent time in Estonia and Spain to get back in shape and stay away from the temptation to party.

    “I think the catalyst was when I stepped on a scale after a fucking drinking bender and I was 230 pounds. So I flew myself to Estonia, to the middle of the fucking woods in a log cabin for six months. I was on a full-blown Rocky Balboa mission to hike and bike and get myself in shape just to be able to skate.”

    Still, opportunity knocked and Margera was caught by the paparazzi peeing on a tree after getting loaded at a bar. After that incident, “I actually went the longest time without drinking until I went to the surprise Jackass reunion party.”

    After being charged with a DUI, Margera spent time at a treatment center in Venice, California where he “did the family therapy thing with my mom.” 

    Margera was asked by Revolver if he indulged in any legal California weed post-rehab. “I don’t do well with weed ever since I smoked some with Snoop Dogg,” he laughed.

    After one puff of Snoop’s “Purple Bin Laden” weed, Margera said he was “instantly transformed into a zombie… I ended up climbing into a fucking bush outside the tour bus, missed the entire show, and just laid there, staring at the moon all night. So yeah, no more weed for me.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Kat Von D Celebrates 11 Years Of Sobriety

    Kat Von D Celebrates 11 Years Of Sobriety

    The Los Angeles-based tattoo artist took to social media to celebrate her sober anniversary.

    Tattoo artist Kat Von D celebrated over a decade sober by sharing her milestone on social media.

    “Today, I celebrate 11 years of sobriety,” she wrote across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. “Every year I look forward to posting about my sober anniversary, in the hopes that someone out there in need of a way out from addiction might see this, and realize that you’re not alone. Sending you extra love today.”

    The Los Angeles-based tattoo artist, famous for appearing on Miami Ink and then her own show LA Ink, is vocal about her sobriety. She hopes that by putting herself out there, she can show that recovery is possible.

    “If anybody out there feels that they relate to me in any capacity and happen to be struggling, perhaps I can lead by example by showing that if I can do it, you can do it too,” she told The Fix in 2016. It’s her way of being of service.

    Here’s what she’s said about sobriety in past Fix interviews.

    Becoming sober in the limelight

    “I am grateful that I was on TV during the tail end of my drinking; the first season of LA Ink. I am glad that happened and that it was public because it shows people that you can change.”

    Change is possible

    “I definitely was a mess, but as human beings, we are all capable of change. We need to give ourselves that credit. I don’t look at a drug addict or somebody who has a drinking problem as hopeless. I believe everybody can evolve and find their path.”

    On creativity 

    “One of the biggest reasons for me to stop drinking was to preserve and protect my art… More than just having the chemical addiction, I was addicted to dysfunction. A lot of musicians and writers and poets from back in the day until now have used dysfunction as a muse. I don’t want to be that person anymore.”

    What it means to be sober

    “Looking back at my wild drinking days, I really never imagined that I would be excited about being sober. When you are on the other side of things, you have such a profoundly different perspective on life… Personally, being sober means that I operate better and I function better; I believe I am meant to be that way.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Deadliest Catch" Star Dies, Drugs Reportedly Found On Scene

    "Deadliest Catch" Star Dies, Drugs Reportedly Found On Scene

    Police discovered a “black substance” and “white crystal substance” near Blake Painter’s body, which they reportedly believe to be heroin and meth.

    Substances that resemble heroin and methamphetamine were found at the scene of Captain Blake Painter’s death in late May. While Painter’s official cause of death is to be determined following a toxicology test and autopsy, the findings, coupled with his drug use history, so far point to a fatal drug overdose. 

    The 38-year-old expert crab fisherman, who appeared on season 2 and part of season 3 of the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch, was discovered in his home in Astoria, Oregon, on May 25. According to police, “It appeared he had been dead for several days.”

    It’s now being reported that police discovered drugs and a “small pipe” around Painter at the time. “Located on the couch were two pill bottles. One pill bottle was labeled Tramadol and contained the same. The other bottle was found to have an assortment of pills inside,” a police report stated. “On the table, I located a straw or pipe, tinfoil with brown residue and a small Altoids container.”

    Police discovered a “black substance” and “white crystal substance” inside the container, which, according to TMZ, they believe to be heroin and methamphetamine.

    There was no evidence of foul play.

    Painter was arrested this past January in Astoria and charged with “driving under the influence of intoxicants, unlawful possession of heroin, tampering with physical evidence and reckless driving,” according to the Daily Astorian. A police officer “allegedly saw Painter smoking the drug while driving” at the time.

    In a 2013 feature “Sharecroppers of the Sea,” Seattle Weekly describes the taxing physicality of being a fisherman. “These days [Painter] wakes up in the morning with his hands clamped closed and pain screaming up to his elbows, an ailment fishermen refer to as ‘the claw.’ He needs surgeries for carpal tunnel syndrome, and his shoulders and back have also fared poorly.”

    It’s no secret that drug abuse is rife in the fishing industry, but it’s not just to numb the pain of the physically demanding nature of the job.

    According to the Portland Press Herald, which covered Maine’s lobstering industry over on the East Coast, rather than the need to numb the pain of work injuries, “doctors, counselors and recovering addicts say… [most fishermen who use heroin] try it because it looks fun, because they’re bored and because it’s everywhere.”

    One lobsterman, Tristan Nelson, is recovering from 20 years of heroin use. “I was just one more junkie on a lobster boat, counting down the hours until I could get my cash, until I could score,” he told the Herald. “All those years I didn’t even realize that I had the best job in the world… What a waste.”

    View the original article at thefix.com