Chase Chrisley is reflecting on his past addiction struggles ahead of the new year.
After Todd and Julie Chrisley reported to prison in 2023, Chase, 29, explained that he would use substances to “cope” with their new reality.
“I would rather feel nothing than feel like the pain that I was feeling,” he said during a Tuesday, December 30, appearance on his sister Savannah Chrisley’s “Unlocked” podcast. “Whenever everything went down, I started drinking to just escape. I didn’t even realize, obviously, I was destroying myself, but I was destroying the relationships around me.”
Some of Chase’s struggles were detailed on The Chrisleys: Back to Reality, which aired via Lifetime this past September. The docuseries followed the Chrisley family during Todd and Julie’s incarceration. The cameras also caught the family adjusting to their new normal after Todd and Julie were pardoned by President Donald Trump in May and released from prison.
Inside the Chrisley Family Dynamic After Todd and Julie Went to Prison
Chase’s addiction became a topic of conversation within the family after Todd and Julie were released, especially because of his fractured relationship with Savannah. The show also detailed Chase’s decision to seek treatment.
“I looked really bad,” Chase said of his appearance on the docuseries. “I really wasn’t drinking then. I was doing other s***. I wasn’t sober.”
Keep scrolling for more about Chase’s addiction and sobriety journey:
His Lowest Point
While filming The Chrisleys: Back to Reality, Chase hit rock bottom.
“That was a really, really dark time for me. I thought I was going to die,” he said. Chase also addressed the “stomach problems” he had in the docuseries, explaining that they were “100 percent” real and not a cover. However, Chase did admit that his substance abuse was most likely a “contributing factor.”
Chase did tell podcast listeners that he’s in a “good place now.”
Breaking Down His Issues
Chase explained that there was “never” a time where he craved alcohol.
“When I started drinking, I was not stopping,” he said. “Once I start, there’s just not an off switch.”
Chase added, “I never had the mindset of, ‘Oh, let me go have two beers.’ That’s just a waste of calories. That’s not fun. That’s enough to give you a headache and piss me off. … If I was drinking, I was drinking.”
Chase said he has two different personalities when drinking. He can either be “happy” or “a monster.” He added, “It’s not worth it for that monster to come out.”
How His Persona Changed
Chase admitted that he was “very selfish” when he was drinking.
“I wasn’t even trying to be,” he added. “I was a different person. … I knew that I was being a piece of s***.”
Chase Chrisley Through the Years: A Look Back at His Ups and Downs
Going through “a lot of therapy” helped Chase get a better mindset.
“I was just sobbing. … I don’t know how anyone else is gonna forgive me. I don’t know how I’m gonna forgive myself. Because I didn’t give a s*** about anything,” he said. “I was just going and going and going. I’m grateful that I learned these lessons in my 20s. … If I would have kept on the way I was going, I would have been dead.”
Making a Shift
This past July, Chase made the decision to seek treatment. Currently he’s in the “best spot” both mentally and emotionally, and said he’s been sober for about six months.
“I think the thing that I’ve learned now is I’m fine figuring out who I am instead of finding it through materialistic things or through relationships,” he said. “I’m actually figuring [it] out within myself.”
While he’s made great progress, Chase isn’t perfect.
“I still got a long way to go to get my s*** all the way back together. But it’s just not an option,” he said. “I don’t surround myself with the same people anymore. If I’m not doing something like this or with someone in the family, I’m at home.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
