On Twitter, Catelynn Lowell has been celebrating her sobriety. She says that she’s been sober for months, now.
But on Teen Mom OG, which is filmed earlier, she’s still in the process of explaining to her husband why she needs to go to rehab in the first place.
She lays out those reasons very clearly.
On Monday’s episode of Teen Mom OG, Catelynn Lowell explained to her husband, Tyler Baltierra, exactly why she had to return to rehab.
"It’s nothing to do with you, Tyler. It’s my inner child s–t. I’m telling you right now, it’s nothing to do with what you do."
Of course it isn’t his fault, but it’s sad that her childhood is still plaguing her as an adult. That is far too common.
And she cites some specific traumas that continue to haunt her.
"It’s me being a f–king 12-year-old and my dad leaving or me being, like, 8 and my mom drinking all the time and not being there."
That is just heartbreaking.
"It’s my own s–t. It’s just coming out when things go on in life."
Catelynn continues, saying:
"That’s how trauma works."
She’s exactly right.
And she did a better and more succinct job of explaining how trauma in childhood can contribute to things like alcohol abuse as an adult than plenty of experts.
She then went on to assure husband Tyler Baltierra that, of course, her entering rehab did not reflect on him.
"It’s nothing to do with you, you’re awesome. You’re supportive."
After Catelynn Lowell tweeted her support for fellow Teen Mom star Amber Portwood, someone on Twitter nastily chose to characterize the two of them as "drug addicts."
Catelynn’s response was positively classy, as she wrote:
"We’re not drug addicts but whatever helps you sleep at night."
She went on to celebrate her enduring sobriety, responding to a much more polite fan’s question by writing:
"Been sober for going on 5 months."
One fan — very politely — asked for clarification, wanting to know if Catelynn was using the term "sober" under the strictest terms or if she meant from all mind-altering substances.
Catelynn clarified that she had even quit using marijuana.
Though marijuana is widely regarded to be safe by the medical community, it can sometimes be used as a "crutch" to avoid processing emotions.
Some find that long-term use can exacerbate whatever issues they were trying to avoid.
Unfortunately, sometimes people find that they have to face their problems instead of self-medicating for them.
Catelynn found that she’d seen an improvement once she’d cut off all substances that let her distance herself from her own thoughts.
Can we just acknowledge for a moment that it is deeply refreshing to hear someone explain trauma and its long-term effects and the role that it plays in addiction?
Most people are accustomed to hearing that spelled out in wildly clinical terms.
We have to wonder how many viewers sat there are listened to Catelynn talk and faced sudden realizations about what had led to their own behaviors.
Watch Teen Mom online if you want to continue to keep up with Catelynn’s struggle.