'Teen Mom' Amber Portwood on God as Her Higher Power and Prison Over Rehab Rumors
"Teen Mom" star Amber Portwood has been through it all: teen pregnancy, drug addiction, domestic violence, and all while being on TV for all to see. The reality star, and mother of 4-year-old Leah, recently spoke with The Christian Post about her new book Never Too Late and her life off-screen.
The Christian Post: How did you come to be on MTV in the first place?
Amber Portwood: My brother was going to do a show back in the day called "Engaged & Underage," but they ended up not doing it and a scouting person was looking for pregnant teenage girls and my brother's friend told them about it. They ended up calling me, but I didn't believe it was them. I told them, 'If this is really you, call me tomorrow,' and they did. They ended up sending out a tape and a paper of questions, and I answered the questions on tape, sent it in, and didn't really expect to hear anything back from it nor did I really believe it was real. They ended up picking me for the pilot and it just went from there.
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CP: A lot of people would criticize your decision to spend time in prison rather than go to a rehab facility and receive treatment. What would you say to that?
AP: The thing is that it's not true – I was in drug court, I was receiving therapy and counseling, I was under house arrest. It was just out of prison, but I was going to take pee tests with a fentanyl patch in my mouth. I don't know where it got confused that I was not doing treatment because I was – I just was not in prison.
CP: You did amazing things while you were in prison – working the CLIFF Program, getting your GED. What helped you get through that time?
AP: In prison, it's so … stressful isn't even good enough … it's hell on earth. You have to have certain goals to keep you moving. My main goals were thinking about Leah, how I wanted to be next to her, to see her, and it drove me to want to get out faster. I found that my purpose was to help others; I realized that there has to be a reason why I've been through all I have at the age of 24. There's a reason I'd already been in prison, rehab, drug court – there had to be a reason. And it drove me to take what I learned in there and use it to help others once I got out, and that's what I plan to do. I've always believed in God and I don't go to church every Sunday. Kind of when I got worse in my addiction and late teenage years, I fell completely away from going to church. Anything good in my life I didn't want in my life, but that's just what happens when you live that party lifestyle and you have no care in the world.
CP: You said that you've always believed – has your faith gotten stronger as a result of your experiences?
AP: In prison, in AA and NA, you have to have a higher power, and my higher power has always been God. I've always said that. You know, I don't go to church but my faith is strong. There has to be a reason why God has put me through everything I've been through. Do I do speeches and speak about the Lord? I don't, but that doesn't mean I don't believe or have faith. I really just want to take my experiences and help others with it. But honestly, that's exactly what I want to do.
Never Too Late is in bookstores and online now. For more of CP's exclusive interview with Amber Portwood, including her relationships with the other "Teen Mom" stars, stay tuned to The Christian Post.
