HGTV star Izzy Battres is getting candid when it comes to his past substance abuse issues and how he was able to find redemption and turn his life around.
The contractor, who previously featured on Flip or Flop and now hosts his own series, Izzy Does It, appears on the latest episode of Richard Taite’s Were Out of Time podcast, where he opens up about his battle with drug addiction and shares hope for others going through similar issues.
“I started off drinking, then smoking weed, then, you know, dropping mushrooms, dropping acid, smoking PCP,” Battres says in a clip shared by People from the upcoming episode, which drops Tuesday (May 13) at 12 pm ET.
When Taite says, “Smoking PCP is the real thing,” Battress responds, “Back in the hood, it was so inexpensive, and that’s what you did. You know, you’d drop PCP. Put joints in PCPs, they’d call them lovelies, and that’s what we did.”
Taite then asks Battres if he was ever arrested when he was a kid. “I was,” Battres admits. Taite then follows up by asking if he spent time in jail, to which the HGTV star replies, “I did.”
“But this is a redemption story, and that’s why I’m here,” Battres continues. “Because there’s a lot of people out there who find themselves in that place and think they’re never going to get out, there’s no hope. And I’m just here to tell you guys that there is hope.”
HGTV viewers got to know Battres better on his new show Izzy Does It, which premiered back in January. The show follows Battres and his family design business, Battres Construction, in Santa Ana, California. Battres is married to Lily Battres and is the stepfather of her children, Joseph and Brianna, from a previous relationship.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Battres reveals the moment his recovery journey began after visiting an old “movie theater converted to a church” to make a confession.
“I thought I was just going to confess, have another few days of getting high and then that was it, and hopefully I make it into purgatory. And when I got there, I just felt something there,” he shares, per People. “I just started walking toward the cross. It was dark, no church service. And then the minute I got to the front of the altar, I just broke.”
He adds, “I never felt bad about doing people wrong, and I didn’t feel guilt about stuff. But [in] that moment, I just felt all the heaviness of all the madness and dirt that I did. And I felt remorseful. And I felt like I just needed to get forgiveness.”
Battres says he had “an immediate transformation” in that moment, sharing, “I got up. I felt lighter. I felt delivered. And from that day on, no more meth, no more madness. It was just a miracle.”
If you or someone you know has addiction issues, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration‘s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.