Chase Chrisley Details Horrifying Struggle With Substance Abuse

Chase Chrisley had a rough start to 2025, but now, things are much better for the reality star and his family. During an episode of his sister Savannah Chrisley‘s “Unlocked” podcast, the pair discussed Chase’s substance use and struggles with sobriety. Of course, this isn’t the first time Chase has opened up about his personal struggles, as he detailed some of them during an episode of his family’s comeback series, “The Chrisleys: Back To Reality.”

Speaking with his sister, Chase admitted to using substances, such as alcohol and other drugs, to numb the pain he was feeling after his parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, reported to prison in January 2023. “I would rather feel nothing than feel like the pain that I was feeling,” Chase said. “Whenever everything went down, I started drinking to just escape. I didn’t even realize, obviously, I was destroying myself, but I was destroying the relationships around me.”

Elsewhere during the podcast episode, Chase and his sister spoke about filming their recent reality show, “Back To Reality,” in which Chase revealed some of his issues. “I looked really bad,” he said. “I really wasn’t drinking then. I was doing other sh-t. I wasn’t sober.”

While Chase admitted he’s in a much better place these days, the reality star said the past few years were “really, really dark” for him. In fact, they were so dark that he believed he “was going to die.” Chase wasn’t alone in his feelings, as Savannah gave viewers an emotional look into Chase’s strained relationship with his family in the trailer of their family show.

“Chase is not Chase. Like, it’s literally like a blank shell,” she said, adding that his struggles had made it hard for her to connect with him. “There’s a part of me that is so afraid that he’s going to die,” she said. “[It makes me not] want to try to have a relationship with him.”

At another point in the episode, Chase told his sister that he couldn’t gain control of his drinking. “When I started drinking, I was not stopping,” he said. “Once I start, there’s just not an off switch.” The 29-year-old explained that he never drank just one or two beverages while out. “That’s just a waste of calories. That’s not fun. That’s enough to give you a headache and piss me off. … If I was drinking, I was drinking,” he said, adding that alcohol usually brought out the “monster” in him.

Now that time has passed, however, Chase revealed that he’s in a better place and credits therapy for getting him back on track. “I was just sobbing,” he said. “I don’t know how anyone else is gonna forgive me. I don’t know how I’m gonna forgive myself. Because I didn’t give a sh-t about anything.” He maintained his position that learning these lessons early in life kept him from dying.

According to a previous report from The Blast, Chase had a legal encounter after being arrested at a bar in Georgia. Reports stated that Chase allegedly assaulted an employee at Twin Peaks bar after getting into a heated altercation. The manager, Brandon Nash, claimed the reality star slapped him across the face after displaying “aggressive” behavior.

Chase was arrested and later released after posting a $10,000 bond. In an interview following his arrest, Chase denied the allegations, claiming the situation had been exaggerated because of his celebrity status. “I didn’t slap that dude in Atlanta,” he said. “That didn’t happen. If I was [going to] put my hand on somebody, I would get my money’s worth. I wouldn’t just get a slap.”