Chase Chrisley is opening up about embarking on his journey to sobriety. The former star of *Chrisley Knows Best* made the pivotal decision to check himself into a rehab facility amid his ongoing battles with alcohol.
"Just a flood of emotions," a tearful Chase, 29, confessed aboard a plane alongside his father, Todd Chrisley, and girlfriend, Jodi Laine Fournerat, during the September 16 episode of *The Chrisleys: Back to Reality*. "I just need to go and confront a lot of trauma that I've tried to bury deep down. I kept thinking I could just bury it, bury it, bury it," he added.
The founder of The Chase Chrisley Collection admitted to being "terrified" to enter treatment, further stating, "I just need to find myself." Amid his son's monumental decision, Todd—who is also the father of Savannah, 28, Grayson, 19, and granddaughter Chloe, 11, with wife Julie Chrisley—offered words of encouragement. "My life's narrative won't be defined by the 28 months I spent in prison," the family patriarch reassured his son, alluding to the time he served after being convicted—and later pardoned—for federal tax evasion charges. "Your life story doesn't have to revolve around having an alcohol and substance abuse problem. That's not the entirety of your life's tale. It's just a part. It's merely a chapter."
Todd—who also has children Lindsie, 36, and Kyle, 34, from his previous marriage to Teresa Terry—admitted he felt better equipped to handle Chase's struggles after navigating through his eldest son's addiction issues. "You know, I thought going through this with Kyle would break me," Todd reflected after dropping Chase off at the facility. "But perhaps it was preparing me for what I'm enduring today. I'm heartbroken, leaving knowing I had to bring my son to rehab. I'm saddened to board this plane without him by my side."
"Even though we've weathered many storms," he continued, "I genuinely believe that God didn't bring us this far only to abandon us now. I trust that God will maintain a protective shield around my son and keep a healing hand on him at all times. It's what I pray for every one of my children, day and night."
And while he had the unwavering support of his father, Chase's struggles strained his relationship with his sister, Savannah, and ultimately led to him missing the family's first joint sit-down television interview following their parents' release from prison.
After spending some time in the program, Chase reached out to the host of the *Unlocked* podcast with an apology, hoping to mend their relationship. "I'm incredibly proud of you," Chase told Savannah during a Zoom call. "I'm deeply grateful for the steps you took and the responsibility you shouldered because, honestly, I was a wreck."
After Savannah accepted his apology and noted the immense pressure she felt holding her family together while their parents were incarcerated, Chase vowed to do better. "What I can promise is to be there for you now and in the future, because I can't go back and change anything," he tearfully told his sister. "But I'm sorry, Savannah. And I love you."
Accepting her brother's heartfelt apology, Savannah declared, "I love you, and I'm here for you whenever you need me." "I'm proud of you for taking the steps you've taken," she added. "You've always had so much potential if you just let yourself embrace it and work towards it. And I'm proud of you."
In the end, Chase's decision to embrace sobriety—which he announced in March—was rooted in ensuring he could be there for his family. "I've realized that time is the one thing money can't buy back," Chase reflected in a side interview. "So, I'm not going to squander it arguing over trivial matters that don't truly matter in the grand scheme of things. And, ultimately, family is all you've got."
