‘Teen Mom’ Amber Portwood Hopes To ‘Give Strength and Determination To Those Who Are Struggling’
Amber Portwood, who first appeared on 16 and Pregnant and then catapulted into fame on Teen Mom, has penned a memoir. Titled Never Too Late, Portwood hopes that her new book will “give strength and determination to those who are struggling.”
The memoir reportedly addresses everything from what really happened behind the scenes of 16 and Pregnant, the truth behind Teen Mom, as well as diving into Portwood’s struggles with drug addiction and what led up to her 17-month stay in prison.
In 2010, Amber was charged with three separate counts of domestic violence against Gary Shirley, her ex-fiance and the father of her child. All three instances occurred in front of MTV cameras and her toddler daughter. The judge placed her on two years of probation, which she then violated in 2011, when, after yet another physical altercation, she was found with prescription medication without having the actual prescription. She was referred to the Indiana Department of Corrections’ drug treatment program, but after just a few month’s of apparently unsuccessful treatment, Portwood literally asked the judge to send her to jail.
She reportedly told the judge that she would always be a “bad girl” and confessing that she hadn’t been clean or sober during the entirety of her stint in rehab.
After her release, Portwood had to struggle to re-connect with her daughter, Leah. Gary Shirley has full custody of the little girl, and although he is supportive of Portwood’s sobriety, he still has misgivings on whether or not the sobriety would stick.
And no one can really blame him – after all, Portwood not only didn’t remain sober during her stint in rehab, she also admits to never being sober, while being filmed for Teen Mom. She bluntly admitted: “Every time you see me on that show, I’m high as a kite.”
And although Portwood remains clean, she also admits it is a daily struggle. According to an interview with Radar Online, Amber says that she had no idea that she would have even more temptation to use when she got out. She is so determined to stay clean that she has even been avoiding drugs that she probably does need, just in order to keep herself from potentially creating a slippery slope to actual drug use. Portwood has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder, all of which would benefit from medication, yet she is scared to go to a doctor and address her problems, even though she herself admits that she probably needs the medication. But, as Amber herself says, “The one thing about an addict is that there’re so many temptations, and if you know your temptations, you stay away from it. And I’m not about to put myself in that position right now until I feel like I am completely ready.”
Certainly Amber has never had a problem sharing exactly how she thinks and feels with the world…so her “tell-all” memoir ought to be pretty juicy. Never Too Late is now available. What do you think? Will you buy it?
[Image via Hollywood Life]
