Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 12
Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 12 are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com
A health and fitness vlogger has admitted to faking workouts after becoming addicted to a prescription stimulant which “ruined” her life.
Ashley Beeman, 34, runs the “Fit and Fabulous” blog, which encourages wellness through a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
But in 2015, she secretly got hooked on Adderall, after being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) by her doctor using a one-page questionnaire. The mother-of-two, from New River, Ariz., said the weight loss results she achieved with the drug spurred her addiction as she dropped from 165 pounds to 128 pounds.
She admits to sharing misleading posts with her 32,000 social media followers during her addiction.
A health and fitness vlogger has admitted to faking workouts after becoming addicted to a prescription stimulant which “ruined” her life. (SWNS)
“I would fake my workouts for my social media followers and my business grew a ton, and I feel terrible about that now," she said. “People were complimenting me which spurred me on and made me feel great. I thought I looked fantastic but I was just skin and bones.”
HONEST OBIT CALLS FOR MORE OPIOID ADDICTION HELP FOR STRUGGLING MOMS
But Beeman’s life quickly spiraled out of control as she began to run through her monthly prescription in just two weeks. She hit rock bottom when she ran out of Adderall at a family reunion, and became so anxious she couldn’t interact with her family.
In June 2016 she vowed to quit the controversial drug - and after enduring a “nightmare” detox period, she is now celebrating three years without it.
With the support of her husband Dusty Beeman, 36, she came clean to her social media followers about her former addiction.
Ashley Beeman, 34, runs the “Fit and Fabulous” blog, which encourages wellness through a balanced and healthy lifestyle. But in 2015, she secretly got hooked on Adderall, after being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD.) (SWNS)
"A year after I had given up I knew I had to come clean on my Facebook page,” Beeman, mom of kids Dylan, 8, and Davin, 6, said.
"I had pretended to be living this really healthy lifestyle to all my followers and I owed them an explanation," she said. "I went live on Facebook and I received such a warm reaction. Everyone was really supportive and they started sharing their own struggles with Adderall.”
"When I first got clean I felt guilty but now I’ve tried to forgive myself and move on. Now, I genuinely love to work out and eat well,” she explained.
During her addiction, Beeman says she was terrified of running out of Adderall.
“I would lie to pharmacists and doctors," she confessed. "I would make up ridiculous excuses like I dropped my prescription script into the lake and they would just give me another.”
"I had pretended to be living this really healthy lifestyle to all my followers and I owed them an explanation," she said. (SWNS)
PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT VISITORS MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO MEASLES, OFFICIALS WARN
“On Adderall I would hardly sleep. I would be up all night staring at the ceiling. Sometimes I would have a few glasses of wine just to get to sleep,” she said. “I was always constipated. Sometimes I wouldn’t have a bowel movement for up to two weeks at a time.”
“I wasn’t focused on my family in any way,” Beeman continued. “When I was on Adderall I was selfish. I was just living my life and I wasn’t present for my children. I wouldn’t spend time with them.”
“I feel like I’ve missed a lot of memories with my youngest one. I became obsessed with my business,” she went on. “I felt like I was being really productive but in reality I probably was just a tornado. I would jump from task to task maniacally.”
Beeman described her comedowns as “a nightmare” and says she would spend days vomiting and shaking until she could get a new fix.
“I went to Cancun at the end of March 2015 for a conference. I was really anxious and I ended up taking my whole prescription early on in the trip. I didn’t think I could do it without Adderall,” she recalled.
Beeman described her comedowns as “a nightmare” and says she would spend days vomiting and shaking until she could get a new fix. (SWNS)
“I had to get a flight home to Arizona without Adderall and it was awful. You’re so, so tired and you can’t eat enough food,” she said. “You throw up and you shiver. Your heart feels like it’s going to jump out of your chest."
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
In 2016, Beeman realized it was time to seek help.
“I explained to a new doctor that I really wanted to get off Adderall because it was ruining my life,” the woman explained. “We did my blood work and it turned out I had Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune condition and hyperthyroidism that may have been the cause of all of my symptoms in the first place. I think I was misdiagnosed with ADD.”
“So I went cold turkey on Adderall. It was such a hard transition. I was so unwell,” Beeman said. “In the first three weeks I put on 20 pounds, which was devastating for me at that time, [as] my view of my body had become so warped.”
“I wasn’t focused on my family in any way,” Beeman continued. “When I was on Adderall I was selfish. I was just living my life and I wasn’t present for my children. I wouldn’t spend time with them.” (SWNS)
“But I didn’t want to go back so I pushed forward. I wanted to experience my life. But I craved Adderall so much for a long time,” she remembered. "I had to work a lot on body positivity and finding an inner worth that didn’t depend on my looks or my weight. I weigh 150 pounds now and I've learned to love my body.”
"It wasn’t always great. My first year off Adderall I still punished myself with crazy diets but I don’t do that anymore,” Beeman said. "I hate looking back at photos of myself during that time because I don’t look good, even though I thought I looked amazing.
"When I watch old videos, you can tell by my eyes I’m not really there.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Now, the woman feels she truly present with her family and business once again.
She said: “I’ve worked hard to make memories with my children in the present. I hardly remember ever playing with them while I was on Adderall. Now family is my priority.”
"My relationship with my husband has grown a lot,” she continued. “Our business took a big hit during that time because he had to do everything."
Beeman now hopes to warn others that the drug can have a devastating impact on their lives, claiming the drug is far too easy to access in the America.
"Adderall is so easy to get. All you have to do is walk into a clinic and that’s so wrong,” the blogger said. "I was spending $150 every other week to get my stock and it was so easy. I would just say I lost my prescription and if that didn't work, it was very easy to get in other ways.”
"It’s not taken seriously. The fact that a paper quiz determines if you have ADD or not is nuts,” she claimed. “It took over my life for a really long time."
This story was originally published by SWNS.