Tarek El Moussa Reflects on Struggling With Alcoholism at Age 19

Tarek El Moussa is opening up about his struggles with alcoholism as a younger grownup.

“I will never forget this day … or this kid. I was 20 years old fishing for King salmon in Alaska,” the HGTV character, 42, wrote by way of Instagram on Monday, December 4, alongside a photograph of his youthful self. “Unfortunately, all I remember was the terrible hangover I had. I had drank over 30 shots of vodka and whatever else I could get my hands on. I can still feel the throbbing in my head and the pulsing vein on my temple.”

El Moussa confessed that in his youthful years, he was “used to” feeling these aches and pains as a consequence of his constant heavy ingesting.

“Most people don’t know this about me, but at 19 my life went downhill in what felt like overnight. I gained 50 pounds, lost my confidence, lost my hope, and became a raging alcoholic,” he continued. “All my drive was gone. It’s crazy to think today I sometimes wake up at 3 am to start work, when at 20, I would wake up at 3 pm to start my day.”

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While El Moussa didn’t share what precisely prompted him to show his life round, he famous that everybody deserves a “second chance.” He informed his followers that in the event that they had been in the same state of affairs that he as soon as confronted, his upcoming guide, Flip Your Life, may very well be useful.

“If you are looking for the help I desperately needed at that time, check out my new book Flip Your Life,” he penned. “I wrote it thinking about 20-year-old Tarek and what could have helped him❤️.”

El Moussa famous that his guide is on the market to preorder and will probably be launched in February 2024.

The actuality star revealed earlier this yr that he had been working on writing his story for almost a decade and had completed his aim.

“I’ve been working on this book for 7 years now, and I can’t wait for you to read my personal journey on how I found success, and how I got to where I am today,” he shared by way of Instagram in September alongside a video slideshow of various moments in his life. “Within that journey, you will learn about many bumps in [the] road including cancers, divorce, business struggles, addiction, and more. This book has been a long time coming, and I’m so proud to share my personal story with you!”

El Moussa has confronted a sequence of life modifications and well being battles through the years. In 2013, he was identified with thyroid most cancers. Shortly after his preliminary analysis, he discovered he additionally had testicular most cancers. After coming into remission in 2019, El Moussa sustained a again damage that led to him to develop an habit to steroids.

Related: Christina and Tarek’s Ups and Downs: Police Calls, Set Fights and More

Talk a couple of roller-coaster! Christina Hall (née Haack) and Tarek El Moussa‘s ups and downs began nicely earlier than they known as it quits in 2016. The actuality stars tied the knot in May 2009, 4 years earlier than their HGTV sequence catapulted them into the highlight. Things took a flip when El Moussa was identified with two […]

“After the cancers, I had that terrible accident on my back and I lost like 60 pounds, and I was on all those opiates. I was not doing well,” El Moussa recalled to Fox News Digital in February. “This is what people don’t understand — you know, from 2013 to 2016, it was hell.”

In addition to battling habit, El Moussa and ex-wife Christina Hall determined to divorce after seven years of marriage. The exes, who break up in 2016, share two kids: daughter Taylor, 12, and son Brayden, 7. Following their break up, Tarek moved on with spouse Heather Rae El Moussa whom he wed in October 2021. The couple welcomed their first son, Tristan, in January.

If you or somebody you understand is battling substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).