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The Bachelorette: Hunter Montgomery opens up about his addiction journey

Hunter Montgomery sits on the couch with a disappointed grimace
Hunter Montgomery holds nothing back when telling his story. Pic credit: ABC

Hunter Montgomery continued in his pattern of vulnerable transparency by posting about the extensive details of his addiction journey. He felt it important to tell his story directly and made a 77-minute video to share what he’s been through. 

Hunter explained that drug addiction is a disease that has no prejudice and will attack anyone. He especially wanted young people to learn how real and deadly drug addiction is, referring to it as a “bear trap.” 

Hunter Montgomery’s addiction began in high school 

Wanting to dispel certain stigmas around addiction, Hunter revealed that he actually came from a fantastic family and had a good upbringing with wealth and privilege. 

Hunter played high school football in Texas, and it was everything to him until he got injured. Due to his injury, Hunter was prescribed Vicodin, and he remembers how it made him feel really happy, chatty, and comfortable in his skin, which meant a lot to him since he was overweight and bullied as a kid.

Hunter began to crave the way the pills made him feel and admits that he didn’t realize he was developing a fatal addiction. He began seeking out students and friends who had access to hydrocodone and sneaking pills from various people’s medicine cabinets. 

Hunter expressed that he went from being a well-off straight-A student to a drug addict who lied to his parents. Despite teachers informing his parents of his budding addiction, his parent chose to believe Hunter’s lies and unknowingly enabled him. 

Hunter calls college the ‘perfect disaster’

For Hunter, his college experience was where his addiction got far worse because he joined a fraternity where drugs were everywhere. He eventually got involved with a drug dealer, and that’s when he became dependent on drugs. 

Hunter revealed that he allegedly began taking orders and distributing drugs to students on campus. It appeared to be a glamorous life because of his increase in popularity and access to drugs. However, Hunter also shared that the glamour quickly faded, and when his dealer got in trouble with some dangerous people, Hunter no longer had access to the excess of pills he’d been taking, which led him to dabble in harsher drugs.

As Hunter’s addiction began to spiral out of control, his sister, who Hunter considers his rock, finally learned about the extent of his addiction and immediately sent him to rehab. Hunter also stayed in a halfway house. However, he eventually left and relapsed. 

Hunter was convinced he wasn’t a real addict, despite upping the ante of his addiction and getting into bloody fights, as well as allegedly writing false prescriptions. Hunter’s father emotionally called him and warned that Hunter would likely end up in prison for prescription fraud and encouraged him to go to rehab again.  

Hunter Montgomery gets sober after a nearly-lethal overdose 

Eventually, Hunter went back to rehab at 20-years-old and, after a nearly fatal overdose and possibly going to prison, he got educated on the realities of addiction. He realized that his disease hadn’t gone anywhere and that the minute you get complacent or think you’re better than your disease, the addiction will come back to bite you.

Hunter slowly but surely began to feel better sober than he did on drugs, and the father of two also started to sponsor others struggling with the disease of addiction, including his old friend from high school. 

While his journey since has not been perfect, Hunter worked hard to turn his life around and is proud to have now celebrated 14 years of sobriety. 

With each episode of The Bachelorette, fans learn more about Hunter, and many appreciated Hunter letting the public learn even more about him in his candid post. Hunter continues to share his story vulnerably, and he encourages people to keep going and hold onto hope that they can have a good life if they keep persevering and working towards recovery.

If you or someone you know needs support, find resources from SAMHSA’s National Helpline, a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders or go to https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline.

The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC. 

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