Book Tour Stop At People: On Addiction, Abuse, And Not Being A Victim

What an amazing time I’ve been having promoting my new book There Goes My Social Life: From Clueless to Conservative.

I was thrilled to have People magazine do a profile on me in print and in several video interviews. These stories from my book were less political and more personal. It was particularly emotional to recount them and keep my makeup dry. But these are important stories because they’ve made me who I am.

I opened up about my former drug addiction and how taking my own life at one time seemed like a plausible solution. This was all around the same time I was pregnant with my son. I had hit the bottom of darkness so hard that I was hooked up to an IV on the table, prepared to abort. I asked God to tell me what to do and He said to me very clearly, “Keep your son.” I leapt from the table and declared I would not be going through with the abortion.

The doctors wouldn’t let me leave without doing a sonogram and when I saw Austin’s heartbeat for the first time, it changed me forever. His life saved me from a life of drugs. I stopped using that very day and haven’t touched it since.

In another segment, I spoke about the sexual abuse I endured as a young girl and the physical abuse later in my life from an ex-boyfriend. Though those incidents were horrific, I want others to know that they are survivable circumstances. I have overcome these obstacles and I refuse to be a victim and let it bring me down. It’s enabled me to be open and honest with my children to guide them on how to avoid being a victim and what to watch out for. But above that, I tell them always stand their ground and stand up for what they believe is right.

I also bragged a little on my absolutely beautiful daughter, who I’m so proud of. Watch the clips below: