Amber Portwood: MTV's Out-There Teen Mom Star Comes Back Sober

Amber Portwood is returning to Teen Mom at two years sober and after prison — and looking to open her own rehab. She's a lesson in growing up and moving forward.

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By McCarton Ackerman

09/26/14

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For four seasons, Amber Portwood was one of the most controversial characters on the highly polarizing MTV reality show Teen Mom. A September 2010 episode showed her hitting and kicking ex-fiancé, Gary Shirley, while their young daughter stood at her feet, prompting an investigation from Child Protective Services. She was charged with three counts of domestic violence and sentenced to probation, but it eventually became clear that part of her erratic behavior was due to a severe opioid addiction.

The year 2011 proved to be a tough one for Portwood: she suffered the trauma of a suicide attempt, a stint in rehab, and losing custody of her daughter. She was arrested that December for violating her probation, but a plea deal allowed her to dodge a five-year sentence by completing court-ordered rehab. However, she made headlines in May 2012 by admitting to a judge that she had used drugs in rehab and asked to go to prison instead.

But Portwood made the most of her rock bottom moment by completing drug rehab in prison and furthering her education, and was eventually released on parole in November 2013, after serving just sixteen months behind bars. She has largely kept a low profile ever since, but will co-star on a new season of Teen Mom that premieres next year.

Portwood spoke exclusively with The Fix about the role her daughter has played in her sobriety, her struggle to overcome sex addiction, and why she’ll never return to prison.

Where are you now in your sobriety?

I’m over two years sober now. One of the main things I learned in prison and in AA meetings is that in order to stay sober, you have to change your people, places and things. That’s exactly what I did. I don’t hang around the same people that I used to. I moved away from Anderson (Indiana). It’s hard work, but I take my sobriety seriously and doing that was absolutely necessary.

How big of a role has your daughter (five-year-old Leah) played in you staying sober?

She’s my everything. She was the main motivator to better myself and get out of prison and she’s the main motivator for me to continue staying sober. She makes my days better. I look at her and just start smiling. It just reminds me of why I’ve worked so hard these last few years.

It was hard at first because I only saw her three times when I was in prison and she had grown up so much during that time, so I had to relearn a lot of things about her. We’re at a great place in our relationship now, though.

When did your drug use first begin?

My addiction started before I was ever approached by Teen Mom. My dad was an alcoholic, so I grew up around addiction. I did a lot of partying as a teenager and did things like pills and drinking. But it was when I discovered prescription medication that things started to get out of hand. 

My drug of choice was opiates. I had a love affair with opiates. I was eating Fentanyl patches while I was in rehab, on house arrest and in drug court. It took over my life. 

I think a lot of people were surprised to read in the book that you also struggled with sex addiction.

I’m still trying to figure out where it came from and that’s been a work in progress, but obviously the main component is that you want to feel loved. I also just have an addictive personality, in general.

I’d like to start dating again eventually, but it’s also hard for me to get into a relationship with someone or fall in love. I get bored easily. And I’m sure part of that hesitance has to do with the eight years I spent with Gary (Shirley, the father of her child). I need to learn how to fall in love again and trust again.

You received a lot of criticism initially for choosing prison over remaining in court-ordered rehab. Did that bother you at all?

It was frustrating and annoying because people didn’t understand why I chose to go to prison and they made their own assumptions. But I knew why I did that and so did my family. They supported my decision. And ultimately, I had to do what was best for me. I can’t live my life making choices based on what other people think. 

It seems like that decision served you well in the end.

You’re surrounded by hell in prison, but you can choose to live in it or work to get out of it. I chose to get out of it and worked so hard to do that. I completed drug rehab in prison, completed parenting classes, got my GED. I became the administrator of the CLIFF (Clean Lifestyle is Freedom Forever) program, which helps prisoners get sober. Once I got myself clean, I wanted to spend time helping others do the same. I found that my purpose is to help others.

I wasn’t going to just give up on myself. And if I got in there and just lived the prison life, it would have defeated the whole purpose of leaving court-ordered rehab. It was important to make the choice to get something out of that experience.

The other women in there would always tell me that I had to get out. And I promised my friends in there that I would help other people when I got out. They taught me to never give up and that it’s never too late to change. It’s hard work to do that, but it’s possible if you want it enough.

You’ve been open about your faith in other interviews, so how much has that played a role in your sobriety?

I’ve always believed in a higher power, but I wasn’t aware of it as much, until I got into the program. I’ve been through so much for only being 25 and thought there had to be a reason for that. I don’t go to church or necessarily speak about my beliefs, but I do consider myself to be spiritual.

Besides the upcoming season of Teen Mom, what are your plans for the future?

I want to open up a rehab eventually, but I’m just figuring out the first steps to doing that now and know it’s going to take a long time. But I want to have at least one rehab open by the time I’m 30 and want these facilities to be going long after I die. I also want to move more into public speaking and sharing my story. I just want to continue to be a good mom and keep being of service to others. 

McCarton Ackerman has been a regular contributor to The Fix since 2011. He last wrote about Bad Grandpas and Jessica Kirson.

Did you attend the FED UP Rally this weekend?

The Addict's Mom Live Video Meeting this Thursday Oct 2nd at 7:00pm on In the Rooms www.intherooms.com, will take a look at the special moments of this a.mazing rally. To join the Addict's Mom group at http://www.intherooms.com/group/view?gid=1806

The Addict's Mom is looking for 10 TAM moms to share their special moments from attending the FED UP RALLY? Did something at the rally move you to tears; have you formed a new friendship? What did you learn?

I p.romise you it matters, your share will bring hope and inspiration to others, and they too will want to participate. We need every addict's mom to be involved fighting this horrible disease that is claiming the lives of our beautiful children.

If you will join me on Thursday please post below. Also, if you don't mind also send me an email me at Barbara@theaddictsmom.comwith your name and phone number.

***Special Note the Addict's Mom is now on Instagram @addictsmom join us for special updates, pictures and important information.

Much love to all addict's moms and their families...Barbara

Visit The Addict's Mom at: http://addictsmom.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

September 28 Chp 18 v 39 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM THE PSALMS

You have armed me with strength for the battle ; you have subdued my enemies (addictions) under my feet .

Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result o f these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Everyday is a battle ! Alone to fight is what led me to use ! We were not designed or put here on this earth to suffer and struggle.The Suffering and struggles we bring on ourselves become training tools in Gods hands . I have spent more time beating myself up more than anybody else . Working the steps constantly and studying Gods big book (Bible) opened my eyes to what life is about and how through my struggles and sufferings Gods purposes and rewards can and will be obtained. If you are alone fighting life there is help only a prayer and tear away from freedom just cry out !

James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

By Joseph dickerson

Drinking at an Early Age Linked With Later Problem Drinking

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

September 25th, 2014/

Starting to drink at an early age can increase the risk of alcohol abuse in teens, according to a new study. The shorter the time between a teen’s first drink and the first time they get drunk, the greater their risk of later alcohol abuse.

The results come from a survey of 295 high school students who drink, HealthDay reports. The teens were asked about when they first tried alcohol, when they first got drunk, how often they drank in the first month and how often they engaged in binge drinking (having more than five drinks).

“If age of any use is the primary risk factor, our efforts should be primarily focused on preventing initiation of any use,” William Corbin of Arizona State University said in a news release. “If, however, age of first intoxication — or delay from first use to first intoxication — is a unique risk factor above and beyond age of first use, prevention efforts should also target those who have already begun drinking in an effort to prevent the transition to heavy drinking.”

A teen who had their first drink at age 14 and first got drunk at age 15 would become a heavier drinker than a teen who started drinking at age 14 but didn’t first become drunk until they were 18, the study found.

The study appears in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

“We would recommend that parents attempt to delay their children’s use of alcohol as long as possible,” study author Meghan E. Morean said. “However, even among adolescents who have had their first drink, a significant percentage has yet to drink to intoxication. Therefore, parents’ efforts to delay drinking to intoxication may be helpful in reducing their child’s long-term risk for negative outcomes associated with early drinking.”

Heroin Easier to Buy Than Wine for Young People in Rural Pennsylvania: State Senator

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

September 25th, 2014/

It is easier for a young person in rural Pennsylvania to buy heroin than a bottle of wine, according to a new report on the heroin epidemic in the state.

“Heroin is cheaper and easier for young people to obtain than alcohol,” said State Senator Gene Yaw, Chairman of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a joint legislative state agency. He added buying heroin can be cheaper than purchasing a six-pack of beer, Reutersreports. Yaw said a small packet of heroin costs between $5 and $10, and delivers a high that can last for four to five hours.

Overdose deaths in rural areas of the state rose from one per 100,000 people in 1990, to 13 per 100,000 in 2011, according to the report.

The report recommended several legislative solutions to the opioid overdose epidemic. One bill would provide immunity to an individual who contacts authorities in the event of a drug overdose, while a second would expand the types of drugs monitored under the state Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.

“The increased use of heroin, which often has roots in the abuse of prescription painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin, has catapulted Pennsylvania to seventh in the nation for drug-related overdose deaths in the latest federal statistics,” Yaw said in a news release. He added, “Simply locking people behind bars is not the answer. We, as a state, need to do more.”

Doctors in Kentucky See Increase in Babies Born to Drug-Dependent Mothers

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BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

September 25th, 2014/

A year after health experts gathered in Kentucky to discuss how to deal with the problem of babies born to drug-dependent mothers, the state has seen a surge in babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).

NAS is the condition caused by exposure to narcotics during pregnancy. Symptoms include constant high-pitched crying, vomiting, diarrhea, low-grade fever, seizures and tremors. Premature babies with the syndrome may experience respiratory distress and are put on ventilators.

At the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit has discharged 204 babies with NAS as of this month, up from 154 in 2013, and 130 in 2012. Statewide, 955 babies were hospitalized for NAS in 2013, up from 67 in 2001.

Henrietta Bada, a neonatologist at the hospital, says doctors are frustrated because there is a lack of care for mothers who are addicted to drugs. The lack of care continues after the baby is born, she told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

In June, the state announced the Kentucky Perinatal Quality Collaborative, which will address the rising number of infants born with NAS.

“The time has come to treat neonatal abstinence syndrome like the true national public health emergency it is,” Eric Reynolds, MD, President of the Kentucky Perinatal Association, said in a news release when the collaborative was announced. “In addition to the acute withdrawal syndrome as a newborn, infants affected by NAS are at increased risk for SIDS, abusive head trauma, attention and behavioral problems at school age, and their own addictive behaviors as adults.”