Jax Taylor Is Now on the Path to Sobriety After Two Decades of On-and-Off Drug Use

Since Jax Taylor and his estranged wife, Brittany Cartwright, announced their separation in February 2024, followed by Brittany officially filing for divorce that August, Jax has been surprisingly open with the public about his personal life, and not just his marriage. A month after the divorce filing made headlines, Jax took to Instagram on Sept. 2, 2024, to share that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD.

Opening up about his mental health was a big deal for him, not only because he anticipated judgment, but also because it gave him a sense of relief to finally have answers for struggles he says he’s dealt with for years.

Then, in March 2025, during an episode of Bravo’s Hot Mic podcast, Jax admitted, "I have substance issues — primarily with cocaine." Since then, he’s claimed to have reached a point of sobriety. So, let’s dip a little more into that journey.

Jax may be facing hurdles in his romantic life, but on a personal level, he seems to be making major advancements. On April 23, 2025, he announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the hardest drug he’s ever done is sobriety. "I got asked the other day what is the hardest drug that I have ever done ... That’s easy. Sobriety, dealing with life head-on, and taking accountability for my actions."

Sobriety is undoubtedly one of the toughest stages in anyone’s recovery journey, mainly because when life gets hard or throws you curveballs, the temptation to return to the very thing that put you in recovery in the first place is real. But Jax appears to have taken the leap to finally overcome a drug addiction he’s battled since he was 23.

During the March 4 episode of Hot Mic, he admitted that while it was "hard to say out loud," he’s struggled with addiction since he was 23, and now, at 45 (almost 46), he’s ready to face it head-on. "There were times where I would stop doing it, but then there were times where I’d go heavy on it," he clarified. Still, breaking free from something as addictive as cocaine after more than two decades is no small feat.

Jax explained that drugs and alcohol weren’t the actual problem; they were used to mask deeper issues. But over time, they became a problem of their own. While he didn’t say alcohol was a major issue for him, he admitted he often consumed it alongside cocaine, which, in essence, made it part of the problem.

As of April 25, 2025, Jax has been sober for over 120 days, or four months. "I’ve done so much damage to my body in the last 20 years, so I have a lot of work to do," he acknowledged. But there’s never a wrong time to start a sobriety journey, and it seems Jax’s 4-year-old son, Cruz, whom he shares with Brittany, is the inspiration pushing him to do better for himself.