Concerns about relapsing into addiction weighed heavily on Gypsy Rose Blanchard during her time in prison, particularly before her release last December. Reflecting on her experience while promoting her new book, My Time to Stand, she shared, “I was concerned about relapsing before I got out of prison because that thought did cross my mind,” as reported by People.
Having served seven years for the 2015 murder of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, after enduring years of abuse, Gypsy has previously battled opioid addiction. In her e-book, Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom, she revealed, “About four or five years ago, I was addicted to Suboxone, [a medication to treat opioid addiction]. I succumbed to and overcame, then succumbed to again and overcame again … an opioid addiction.”
Battling the shadows of her past Gypsy shares her journey to recovery
In her memoir, Gypsy explores the impact of her mother’s Munchausen by proxy syndrome on her own mental well-being. She wrote, “Her emotions were a whip that snapped against my self-worth. I found solace and escape in drugs, especially after we began fighting a lot,” according to People.
Recalling a pivotal moment, she said, “I remember the first time I sought out the painkillers for no pain at all, and it was after Mama and I were yelling at each other for what seemed like over an hour. I just wanted to relax.”
During her incarceration, Gypsy resorted to “scrounging” for drugs, telling herself to figure out the prison dynamics: “You have to find it, really kind of get into the groove of who has what in prison.”
As she anticipates the arrival of her first child with boyfriend Ken Urker, she initially believed that pills would be “more accessible” in the outside world. Fortunately, she hasn’t felt the urge to use again. “I haven’t gone looking, so I don’t really know how accessible it is,” she remarked.
Support from her family has played a remarkable role in her recovery. Gypsy attributes her progress to the love and encouragement from her father, Rod Blanchard, stepmother, Kristy Blanchard, and half-siblings, Mia and Dylan Blanchard.
She expressed her surprise at how the family dynamic has kept her away from drugs, stating, “When I came out, I was surprised to learn that the family dynamic kept me away from that stuff. I haven’t thought about doing anything. I haven’t had any cravings.”
Feeling “very blessed,” Gypsy concluded, “Even in the hardest moments of this year, with dealing with social media trolls and the self-esteem that could be brought down in all the scrutiny and how hectic that is, I still never considered going back to that.”
