Kristen Bell Opened Up About What Dax Shepard Said When He Told Her He'd Relapsed After 16 Years Of Sobriety
"I will continue to stand by him because he's very, very worth it."
Kristen Bell has opened up about Dax Shepard's recent relapse, revealing she will continue to "stand by" her husband.
Last month, Dax shared the news that he'd relapsed after 16 years of sobriety when an ATV accident led to him taking opioids.
"After I ride sometimes on the track, I feel I'm entitled to take two Vicodin at the end of the day because I am in pain," he said during an episode of his podcast.
"For the last eight weeks ... I'm on them all day," he went on. "I'm allowed to be on them at some dosage because I have a prescription, and then I'm also augmenting that. And then all the prescriptions run out, and I'm now just taking 30 mil Oxys that I've bought whenever I decide I can do [it]."
"I'm lying to other people, and I know I have to quit," he went on. "But my tolerance is going up so quickly that I'm now in a situation where I'm taking, you know, eight 30s a day."
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"I know that's an amount that's going to result in a pretty bad withdrawal," Dax added. "And I start getting really scared, and I'm starting to feel really lonely. And I just have this enormous secret."
Dax explained that he eventually told Kristen about the relapse, went to a meeting and now feels "hopeful and humble" about the future. However, he did add that he was worried about the effect "coming clean publicly" would have on his wife.
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"Kristen doesn't deserve for the next six months for every fucking interview she does to be, 'Oh, Dax relapsed,'" he said. "I'm sorry and I'm embarrassed I've put other people in this situation."
Well, Kristen herself has now spoken out about the relapse during an appearance on The Ellen Show, revealing that she and Dax are moving forward together.
"He is actually doing really great," Kristen said. "Everybody is up against their own demons. Sometimes it's anxiety and depression, sometimes it's substance abuse."
"The thing that I love most about Dax is that he was able to tell me and tell us and say, 'We need a different plan,'" she continued. "We have a plan — if he has to take medication for any reason, I have to administer it. But he was like, 'We need a stronger plan.'"
Kristen went on to recall exactly what Dax had said when he told her about the relapse: "I was faltering. I have to do some sort of emotional work to figure out why I wanted to use again."
But Kristen — who shares two children with Dax — also revealed that she admires her husband's "addiction to growth," and dedication to ensuring that their family remains united.
"He's addicted to evolving," Kristen said. "He was like, 'I don't want to risk this family and I did, so let's put new things in place to make sure it doesn't happen again.' We're going back to therapy. I love that he's addicted to growth."
"I will continue to stand by him because he's very, very worth it," Kristen concluded.
In the past, Kristen has been open about the support she offers Dax as he remains committed to sobriety. In fact, back in 2018, Kristen shared an emotional Instagram tribute to her husband, revealing that she's "in awe of his dedication."
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"I will forever be in awe of your dedication, and the level of fierce moral inventory you perform on yourself, like an emotional surgery, every single night," she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post marking his 14th anniversary of sobriety.
"I'm so proud that you have never been ashamed of your story, but instead shared it widely, with the hope it might inspire someone else to become the best version of themselves," Kristen.
And a year later, Kristen shared that she makes a point of marking the anniversary of Dax's sobriety every year, in a ritual she's named his "sobriety birthday." Kristen added that she actually makes a bigger deal of his sober birthday than his real day of birth.
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"I'm very happy he was born so I celebrate his birthday, but I'm extraordinarily [happy] that he has stayed sober because that’s what allows me to have him in my life as a husband and as a father," Kristen told People, referencing their two daughters, Lincoln, 7 and Delta, 5.
And, last month, Kristen publicly marked Dax's 16th year of sobriety with an emotional Instagram post and caption.
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"Today is my husband's 16th sobriety birthday," she wrote. "My daughter woke him up with this sign, and a sketch of the one and only Ronald Weasley(absolutely random, and also perfect). Happy birthday Daxy. Thank you for dedicating your life to the hard and wonderful work of sobriety, so that we could share it with you."
You can watch Kristen's full interview here.
