'VPR's' Jax Taylor Used Cocaine And Alcohol To 'Mask' His Mental Health Problems

Ever since Jax Taylor opened up about his decades-long addiction to cocaine, the "Vanderpump Rules" reality star keeps sharing more about his journey.

During a new interview, the 45-year-old, who shares a 3-year-old son with fellow Bravo star Brittany Cartwright, said part of the reason for his past drug use came from his inability to face his mental health concerns.

Today, however, Jax Taylor is embracing sobriety and focusing on making progress for the betterment of his child.

While speaking with E! News about season 2 of "The Valley," his new show on Bravo, the father of one also opened up about his shocking revelation in early March that he had been addicted to cocaine for 20-plus years.

“I have substance issues—primarily with cocaine. It’s hard to say out loud," the villainous reality star, who first joined the Bravo family in 2013, said on the "Hot Mic" podcast.

He went on to say that he started using the illicit drug when he was 23, "and now I'm 45."

Taylor explained that he stopped using cocaine and drinking alcohol so that he could get back on the right path. He later said that drugs and alcohol were never the real problem for the chaos in his life.

"I will say drugs and alcohol are not the problem," he told E! "The problem was I just didn't address my mental health at all and used drugs and alcohol [to] mask it."

Taylor hinted that when he was using the substances, it gave him a moment to escape reality and forget about his real-world problems, like his bipolar disorder and ongoing divorce.

"It's just so overwhelming, so drinking and substances just helped," he said.

When Taylor revealed he used to be addicted to drugs, he said nobody on the cast of "Vanderpump Rules" was explicitly told about his practices off-camera. However, his co-stars, such as Tom Sandoval, said he could tell because he'd "been around him over the years."

Taylor also told E! that people who didn't catch on to his habit were "idiot[s]."

"You’d be an idiot if you didn't notice that I was on something," he said.

Taylor went on to describe the "pressure" he feels to stay on the right track. But with the help of the people around him, including his therapist and life coach, the "House of Villains" star is "doing very, very well."

According to him, he's over 130 days sober.

Part of the reason Taylor finally opened up about his cocaine use was his son, Cruz.

"It was very tough to come out, but it was something that I needed to do," Taylor said. "It was a weight lifted off my shoulders. I just needed to do it for myself, and I needed to do it for my son."

He continued, "Everyone's like, 'You should do this for you first.' I did this for my son first and then I did it for me."

According to Taylor, there were times the reality star felt like he didn't "want to be here anymore." But after thinking about his son's future without him in it, he realized he needed to work on himself.

"I want my son one day to be like, 'My dad....there was something wrong with him, and he fixed himself; this is why he's here today," he said.

Speaking of Taylor's son, the Bravo veteran's soon-to-be ex-wife, Cartwright, recently opened up about their child's development and revealed he was diagnosed with autism.

Cartwright, 36, shared that as her son was growing, he hit specific milestones, such as walking and crawling. But as he got older, "He stopped talking almost completely," she said.

"It can be difficult because I've never heard him say, 'I love you,' but he is so loving, and he shows me he loves me every single day," Cartwright added. "He is such a mommy's boy."

Cartwright admitted she and Taylor were "expecting" the news from doctors about their son. Hearing it, however, made the situation more "real" for their family.

Cartwright, who will also appear in season 2 of "The Valley," added that things will likely look different for them as a unit, but she's ready to support her son as he continues to get older.

"He is my better half. He is my little partner in crime. He is everything to me, and even though he can't talk, I know everything that he wants, everything that he needs. We're just so synced, it's incredible," she said.