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Jax Taylor Shares Update on His Sobriety & Son Cruz’s Autism Diagnosis (Exclusive)
Jax Taylor is sharing new details on just how bad his cocaine addiction really was.
In fact, The Valley star—who recently came forward abouthis decades-long battle with drug addiction and current sobriety journey—revealed he literally had a nose for sniffing out the illegal substance anywhere he went in the world.
"I had a sixth sense of finding it no matter where we were," Jax jokingly shared with fellow former Vanderpump Rules star Tom Schwartz on the April 17 episode of his In the Mind of a Man podcast. "What state or country we were in, I found it within minutes."
Tom admitted he was fully aware of Jax's drug addiction because "his eyes were bulging out of his skull."
Meanwhile, Jax explained he used cocaine to keep the party going.
"It got to the point where I needed it to be social," the 45-year-old—who shares 4-year-old son Cruz with estranged wife Brittany Cartwright—noted. "It was a social drug for me. Like in the beginning days, in the early days, I did it of course because I like the rise, but towards the end I did it just to stay awake because I would crash around 9 or 10 o'clock."
Jax noted fans will see his journey to get sober—including his July 2024 stay in rehab—on season two of The Valley, which premiered this month. However, he's fully away of how difficult it will be to watch his struggles play out on the Bravo series.
"I know where I am at today and I'm okay to look back and be like, man I was a bad person because I'm pretty strong person today,” the reality star said. “And I've worked so hard to get where I'm at. And also, keep in mind, the show was shot a year ago. I am in a different place. I have different relationships. You know, the dynamic has changed. So I can look back and like, 'Wow, I've grown a lot.'"
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As for how Jax is doing today after first going public with his addiction battle in March, he recently revealed there was another factor at play.
"I will say drugs and alcohol are not the problem," Jax, who wasdiagnosed with bipolar disorderlast year, toldE! News'Keltie Knightinan interview that aired April 10. "The problem was I just didn't address my mental health at all and used drugs and alcohol mask it.
"There's a two-hour period where I just don't have to think about my problems," he continued. "My bipolar, my divorce, my separation, my loss of friends, the TV show, this and that. It's just so overwhelming, so drinking and substances just helped."
Noting that he's been sober for 132 days at the time of the sit-down, Jax said he's "been doing very, very well," adding, "I'm in therapy, and I go to AA four times a week. I have a great sponsor. I have a great life coach."
Keep reading for more celebs who've gotten candid about their addiction and sobriety journeys.
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