Sister Wives star Christine Brown has candidly opened up about her past addiction to painkillers.
The 53-year-old reality star — who appears on the TLC show with her ex-husband Kody Brown and their polygamist family — revealed in her new memoir that she started taking oxycodone in 2016, after having knee surgery.
However, Brown had never taken a drug of that caliber before, noting that she’d only have ibuprofen or aspirin when she was in pain.
“With the surgery, I had already fixed the problem, and it hurt, so I took my meds,” she wrote in her book, Sister Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Finding Freedom, which was published Tuesday. “On the third day, after the surgery, I felt like I had the flu. I was achy from head to toe. I took an oxycodone, and all the symptoms went away. Oh, I thought. I’m not taking this for my knee anymore. I’m taking it because I’m achy everywhere.”
According to Brown, oxycodone gave her the “best high [she] ever felt.” She even took it right before she was going to film Sister Wives, since she felt like she “could do anything on oxy.”
However, she confessed that after 45 minutes of that high, she’d “feel so sad,” and became focused on taking it again later.
Two weeks after Christine started taking oxycodone, Maddie Brown — the daughter of Kody’s former wife, Janelle — confronted her about the addiction. Maddie, who was about to marry her fiance Caleb Brush, told her she was a “mess” and that her family “missed” her.
Christine then told Kody about her addiction, before breaking the pills in half and giving half to her daughter, Aspyn. Once she switched to taking the half dose, Christine stopped feeling those highs and lows, and she was able to stop taking oxycodone altogether.
“Kody took all of the young girls out of town, and I spent the weekend in bed sobbing, watching Pretty Woman over and over and sobbing,” she wrote. “I couldn’t handle my life, I couldn’t handle anything. My mom stayed with me and took care of me. At the end, I gave the rest of the oxycodone to my mom.”
According to Christine, she was “unbalanced” for the six months after she quit taking oxycodone, recalling that she was “angry” that she couldn’t get the painkiller. However, she still credited Maddie for helping her overcome the addiction.
During an interview with People published Tuesday, she reflected on her experience with addiction and explained why she kept it hidden from the hit reality show.
“I just dealt with it privately because at the time, it was absolutely devastating,” she said. “It was very difficult, and even though I was on it for a month, the effects of it lasted at least six. I didn't feel normal. I didn't feel okay for so long.”
“So, once I was done and I felt better, I just felt good to feel better,” she continued. “And I realized that with writing the book, that's something I didn't go back and revisit was the addiction to oxycodone.”
She acknowledged that while oxycodone can relieve severe pain, she can “get addicted to things easily,” so it’s best for her to “stay away” from those painkillers entirely.
“But I just wasn't in a place where I could talk about it on the show. I just really couldn't. It was so personal, and it was embarrassing, and I didn't know if I wanted people to know that about me,” Christine concluded.
During Christine’s 28-year marriage to Kody, they welcomed six children: Aspyn, Mykelti, Paedon, Gwendlyn, Ysabel, and Truely. The couple split in 2021, and Christine has since remarried.
The polygamist family also includes Kody’s current wife, Robyn, his former wives Meri and Janelle, and their 12 other children. The family will be featured on the 20th season of Sister Wives starting September 28.
Christine’s memoir, Sister Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Finding Freedom, was released September 2 in the U.S.
If you or someone you know is suffering from drug addiction, you can seek confidential help and support 24-7 from Frank, by calling 0300 123 6600, texting 82111, sending an email or visiting their website here.
In the US, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP
