Dakota Mortensen Opens Up About His Struggle with Addiction and Suicidal Thoughts
Dakota Mortensen Opens Up About His Struggle with Addiction and Suicidal Thoughts

Published: June 4, 2025

Dakota Mortensen, known for his reality TV show "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," has revealed his dark past struggles with addiction and suicidal thoughts in an emotional interview.

Mortensen, 32, appeared on "The Viall Files" podcast, where he shared his journey from being a 17-year-old basketball player to becoming addicted to prescription painkillers, heroin, and fentanyl.

From Painkillers to Heroin

Mortensen explained that his addiction started when he was 17 and looking for something to manage his knee pain. A friend offered him painkillers, which eventually led to him snorting and smoking them. He eventually moved on to heroin, recalling that a "buddy" told him to smoke it off tin foil, which created a huge shift in his addiction.

As his addiction took over, he found himself stealing from his parents and doing return scams at big box stores with friends for extra cash.

Marriage and Addiction

Mortensen was in a relationship with his high school sweetheart, who wasn't aware of the extent of his addiction before they got married. He vowed to himself to stop using when they got married, but he admitted that he turned to drugs again on their wedding day.

He recalled feeling "numb" and hiding his drugs on his body and throwing the foil it came in in the toilet, convincing his wife he'd flushed the drugs in front of her.

Suicidal Thoughts and Divorce

Mortensen's addiction eventually led to a divorce, and he was in a dark place. He revealed that he considered killing himself, saying, "I was like, 'I'm gonna kill myself.' I went and bought like a gram of heroin and I was just like, 'I'm gonna just shoot up and I'm gonna just try to kill myself.'"

However, a cousin who was a recovering addict called him and offered to help him get sober. Mortensen agreed, but noted that he was willing to try one more time, saying, "I'll try it one more time. This will be my last time. I was like, If this one doesn't work, I'm done. I'm just gonna kill myself. I don't like doing this anymore."

After four months in rehab, Mortensen came home and packed up, deciding to move from Idaho to Utah for a fresh start.

Sobriety and Finding Love

Mortensen has been sober for over three years and has found love with Taylor Frankie Paul. He credits her for understanding the boundaries of his addictions and being supportive.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

Read more about Dakota Mortensen's journey to sobriety and his relationship with Taylor Frankie Paul here.

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