Life was just a party for Jason Wahler, former star of Laguna Beach and The Hills, but the fun eventually turned to addiction, which led him to an incredibly dark place.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Wahler opens up about his life as an MTV star, and how it eventually led to his “downward spiral.”
“I was supposed to go to school and college for baseball, down that path, and the phenomenon of the show came up,” he started. “Everything transitioned.”
“There was a lot of pros to this — there was a lot of things that came overnight that were very, very glamorous, I guess you can call it — and that’s when that downward spiral happened for me,” he continued.
“It ignited my addiction and things started to domino effect right before my own eyes, and before you knew it, it got out of control and I couldn’t handle it.”
He was hooked on cocaine and alcohol, which led to destructive behavior and a number of arrests.
But it also led Wahler to the lowest point in his life, and he tried to take his own life.
“My addiction drove me to suicide,” Wahler admitted.
“Not contemplation. Actually attempting suicide. And somebody found me and that’s why I’m still here today. I’m very grateful for that.”
Wahler also confessed that his substance abuse took a toll on his relationship with then-girlfriend and The Hills co-star Lauren Conrad.
“Oh, my alcoholism, a hundred percent,” he said when asked whether his addictions affected their romance.
“I became a totally different person active in my addiction versus when I’m sober and living life in recovery,” he explained.
Wahler has been sober since 2010, and in 2015, he opened a sober living facility called Widespread Recovery in his hometown of Orange County.
In 2013, Wahler married Ashley Stack, and the two hope to start a family next year.