(NewsNation) — HGTV personality David Bromstad is opening up about the “unhealthy behaviors” he adopted during a period when a home renovation went awry, according to the Daily Mail.
In his latest HGTV special, “My Lottery Dream Home: David’s Happy Ending,” Bromstad, 52, reveals he went to rehab after he started using drugs to mask the pain after he lost his house.
“I was starting to spiral. I got into some unhealthy behaviors. It’s really easy to go there when you’re under distress,” he said. “You know, using substances… It’s a real easy escape to take yourself out of a stressful situation. I knew I was in trouble.”
Bromstad said that extreme water damage, flooding and excessive mold ruined home, resulting in him rebuilding a home, which he described as a “childhood fantasy,” from scratch.
However, setbacks during the renovation negatively affected his mental health.
David Bromstad home was a ‘childhood fantasy’
Bromstad’s home was ruined by extreme water damage, flooding and excessive mold, which meant that he had to start building his “childhood fantasy” home from scratch.
After noting how the setback had impacted his mental health, he decided to get professional help.
“I think with the house, with where I’m at emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically, everything has stopped,” he said. “I was literally screaming out for help.”
NASHVILLE, TN – JUNE 12: (L-R) HGTV hosts Jonathan Scott, Alison Victoria, Drew Scott and David Bromstad attend a pre-show press conference at the 2015 CMA Festival on June 12, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images) 
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 03: Designer/ TV personality David Bromstad attends AOL Build Speaker Series at AOL Studios In New York on February 3, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Desiree Navarro/WireImage)
He added, “I need to put my house on hold, and I need to check myself into some sort of program.”
The designer said he hoped that building his dream house would heal unhealed trauma stemming from his childhood, including depression from being gay and staying in the closet.
“I was exactly this amount of gay, this amount of perfect, but that was not celebrated,” Bromstad said. “That was looked (at) in a different way back then.”
The HGTV star continued, “I was super depressed. I was super bullied. And so, for me to idealize my childhood was a complete defense mechanism that was beautiful; it saved me.”