In an episode of Rated K on January 21, actor JM De Guzman publicly opened up about his past drug abuse issue for the time.
In his interview with host Korina Sanchez, he disclosed how drug use affected his life saying that, at first, he thought taking illegal substance helped him.
“Akala ko nakakatulong siya sa akin as a person, as an actor at first, pero noong nag-rehab ako, nabuhay sa akin na I have issues since I was a kid,” he said.
“I was bullied before when I was really young, so wala na akong self-esteem and confidence at that time. Taking drugs parang gives me power,” he added.
De Guzman also said it was peer pressure that pushed him to do drugs in the past. He was only 18 years old when he first started taking them.
“Parang na-excite lang ako na may something na di ko pa nagagawa. Eventually, kapag hindi na na-ano ‘yung need mo na high, paiba ka nang paiba ng drugs. Nawalan na ng epekto, so parang naapektuhan ka na rin sa pag-iisip,” he explained.
Nevertheless, de Guzman’s showbiz career skyrocketed at that time. He appeared on many television adaptations of Precious Hearts Romances novels and got his big break when he bagged the lead role for the remake of Mula Sa Puso.
De Guzman soon became a household name when he portrayed the titular character in Angelito: Batang Ama in 2011.
However, the actor said that his rise to fame did not stop him from using narcotics. He continued in taking them up to a point that it became uncontrollable.
According to him, his use of drugs soon affected his work and his character was cut off from Angelito: Bagong Yugto in 2012.
“Yung latter part ng Angelito, parang they decided to take me out kasi medyo nagkakaproblema na ako. Binaril ‘yung character ko,” he said.
After getting cut from the show wherein he was the main character, De Guzman decided to go to a rehabilitation center.
De Guzman said: “Mentally, emotionally physically, rock bottom na, e. Parang di ko na mai-angat ‘yung sarili ko. Yung paranoia ko, hallucinations ko, di na ako makagalaw pag walang drugs. Iyak ako nang iyak. Lumala mga problema so I decided na… tinext ko na lolo ko, ‘I think kailangan ko na ipasok sa rehab.'”
He stayed in rehab for 11 months and got his second chance in show business after that.
The actor starred in an independent film titled, “That Thing Called Tadhana,” and also became one of the cast members of an afternoon show, “All of Me.”
But for the second time around, De Guzman was removed from All of Me because his problems were relapsing. He said that he returned to his old vices.
“So ayun, natanggal ako dun sa show na hindi naman ‘yun ‘yung original plan na sinabi sa akin. Nakadagdag ‘yun sa pain. Relapse itself is painful for me. Mga nasayang ko uli na blessings and opportunities. ‘Yung depression, ‘yung anxiety, galit sa sarili, triple. Slowly, killing myself na unconsciously,” he said.
Because of this, he returned to rehab. He said what he went through was not easy, but the support and acceptance that he got from his family helped him a lot.
“Family ko kasi and me, parang nag-heal together, e. Talagang we went through processes na talagang intense and nag-resolve kami ng mga issues and yung support system namin sa isa’t isa was matibay,” he shared.
De Guzman was able to get out of rehab last January 16, two years after his admission.
However, Martin Infante of Self-Enhancement for Life Foundation said the actor would still need to undergo certain check-ups.
“Sobrang thankful po ako din. I don’t think I deserve it pero sobrang thankful pa rin ako. Siguro may purpose. Sobrang suportive po ng lahat ng tao sa paligid ko like ABS, Star Magic, yung program,” he said.
The actor also left an advice to everyone who is undergoing what he went through: “Iniisip mo pa lang, huwag mo na puntahan. Pag ginagawa mo na, tigilan mo na.”
