‘Flipping El Moussas’ star says he was once a “raging alcoholic” in emotional new Instagram post
Tarek El Moussa opens up about his past struggles with alcoholism.
The HGTV star, 42, took his Instagram followers on a harrowing trip down memory lane with a throwback photo of himself as a 20-year-old — and an honest message about the struggles he endured at the time.
Opening with an anecdote, El Moussa wrote: “I will never forget this day… or this kid. I was 20 years old fishing for king salmon in Alaska. Unfortunately, all I remember was the terrible hangover I had. I drank more than 30 shots of vodka and everything else I could get my hands on.”
“I can still feel the pounding in my head and the throbbing vein in my temple,” he said Flipping the El Moussas the star continued. “But… I was pretty used to it since I’ve been drinking my life away anyway.”
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When he was 19, El Moussa said his “life went downhill” overnight.
“I gained 50 pounds, lost confidence, lost hope, and became a raging alcoholic. All my drive is gone,” he wrote, adding that “it’s crazy to think that today I sometimes wake up at 3 a.m. to start work, when at 20 , I would wake up at 3 pm to start the day.”
“We all deserve a second chance,” said the real estate developer, adding that if any of his stories “sound like you, maybe it’s time to Flip Your Life” — a reference to his upcoming book, TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND: How to Find Opportunity in Adversity—In Real Estate, Business, and Life.
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In September, the reality star revealed that the personal book – which hits bookstores on February 6 – will detail how he turned to alcohol when his baseball career was derailed by a shoulder injury, as well as his previous addiction to steroids.
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In the 2018 episode of the series Dr. Drew podcast, El Moussa detailed his battle with steroids following thyroid and testicular cancer surgeries in 2013.
“Only my hormones were off. I was tired and I thought it was from the thyroid medication, but it wasn’t,” El Moussa said at the time.
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Tarek El Moussa 2022.
Jeff Kravitz/Getty
“This is the worst thing I’ve ever done, which is a hundred times worse than cancer,” he continued. “I thought it was my testicular cancer so I went to a botox doctor and a hormone clinic that my ex told me to check out. The next thing I know, I’m going to stick a needle in the… and take steroids, it was testosterone. It was horrible.”
Added El Moussa: “I had too much testosterone, on top of that I was taking human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) injections every day because I was told to.”
Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa celebrate a blended family Thanksgiving with all three children
After officially divorcing ex-wife Christine Hall in May 2016, the HGTV star “barely stripped it all down” and said he was determined to turn his life around.
Meanwhile, El Moussa got married Selling Sunset alum Heather El Moussa, with whom she shares an HGTV series, Flipping the El Moussasand a blended family of five, which includes son Tristan, 9 months, as well as Taylor, 13, and Brayden, 8, whom El Moussa shares with Hall, 40.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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Source: HIS Education