Renee Graziano is keeping it real about her former battle with substance abuse. The Mob Wives alum explains that thanks to the men in her life and the drama they brought, it was as if the drugs were a comfort. A way to seek solace from the fame, power, and mafia ties that defined her daily life.
And now, after nine months of sobriety after an almost fatal fentanyl overdose in 2023, Renee recognizes the patterns in her life that led her to destructive behavior.
The world of addiction
“Addiction is a dark world,” the reality star told Page Six. “I was never addicted to drugs. I was addicted to power, I was addicted to men, I was addicted to my world, my lifestyle,” she explains. “Drugs were my comfort. They kept me going.”
She further added that the drugs felt like a solution to her grief during the tough times. Rachel lost her father in 2019 and suffered through her marriage falling apart among other heartbreaking incidents.
“In some strange way, I think sometimes self-medicating kept me alive,” she shared. “Because I think if I would have had to live through it without medicating, I might not have made it.” She admitted it was an ugly truth, but the truth nonetheless.
And she admits that no one was to blame for her drug-related woes. She accepts responsibility for her own actions.
“I can’t blame anybody for my addiction. I can’t. I’d like to. I think my ex-husband has a hand in it, my lifestyle has a hand in it,” she mused. “But ultimately, it is my responsibility to take or not take something.”
Renee’s struggles with drugs were shown in later installments of Mob Wives. The show ran for six seasons on VH1 from 2011 until 2016.
Recovery isn’t a straight line
Through it all, Renee was conscious of trying to let viewers into even the darkest corners of her life for the betterment of the show. And to help her sister, Jennifer, the creator of the reality series,
And she focused on recovering and moving forward. Although Renee admits that recovery was not a straight line.
“My recovery hasn’t been smooth sailing,” she admitted. “I have fallen on my face. Unfortunately, I did that publicly, but that is because I choose to live the recovery process out loud in the hopes of helping someone else find their way out a lot sooner than I did.”
She knows how hard it can be and her new project tries to shed light on the difficulties of the journey. She and Jennifer will be sharing more on reality TV and two new podcasts entitled “Crysis Queen” and “Straightened Out.”
“Crysis Queen is a safe place for people to talk about their trauma,” Renee explained. “I don’t want to make light of your trauma, I want to make your trauma feel lighter. I want people to understand they’re not alone. I’m still healing. It’s a forever process.”
TELL US – ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO RENEE’S NEW PROJECT? DID YOU ENJOY HER TIME ON MOB WIVES?
