Jeremy Jackson got his big break as a child actor in “Baywatch,” playing the role of Hobie, David Hasselhoff’s son in the popular lifeguard series. In the years following the hit series, however, the actor’s life began to spiral out of control as he battled drug addiction.
“It started with pot and cigarettes and drinking here and there, just like most kids do. But it eventually got to hard drugs like crystal meth and that definitely brought me to my knees,” Jeremy told Kit Hoover and Billy Bush on Wednesday’s Access Hollywood Live.
“[I’m] clean and sober, off drugs and alcohol for almost eleven years now.” Jeremy added.
Yet the 30-year-old still had a final battle with substances. The former child star joined VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab” because of his addiction to human growth hormones.
“For me, steroids were a distraction,” Jeremy explained. “You know, I am a recovering addict. My main goal in life is to stay clean and sober to help other addicts achieve sobriety. But somewhere along the lines, I moved up to LA, I thought, you know, I need to get my body great. This is going to help me, this is going to be a tool for me to get this adult-looking great… I got pulled into it and it became all about diet and body image.
“I stopped auditioning and I stopped doing the things that were important to me,” Jeremy continued. “That’s when it became unhealthy for me. That’s when I went down the slippery slope. Instead of getting off of it and re-committing. I was unhappy.”
On the reality rehab show, Jeremy learned an important lesson that helped him beat his addiction.
“You know, it doesn’t matter what I look like on the outside,” Jeremy explained. “It matters what I feel on the inside. And if I’m happy, I’m going to feel good. Life is an inside job. That’s what I really re-connected with on the show.”
Celebrity Rehab premieres Sunday, June 26 on VH1.
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