'The Hills: New Beginnings' Star Jason Wahler Details Return to MTV Series Amid Sobriety Journey (Exclusive)

Jason Wahler returned to The Hills: New Beginnings with a slew of other famous faces from the hit MTV series that first premiered as The Hills in 2006. However, returning to the reality show wasn't as easy of a process as fans felt it was to watch. Instead, Wahler defined his return as "weird" as he did his best to navigate his approach to, what felt like new relationships with old friends, and treading lightly as he's found new life in sobriety. 

During an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Wahler explained what it felt like for him to come back as he detailed his journey with sobriety and how it's changed his life for the better in honor of September being National Recovery Month. "For me, it was really weird coming back," the 34-year-old admitted. "I mean, being in the state of mind that I was in for so many years, back in 2005-6-7, you know I didn't even know who I was, and let alone do I really remember the relationships that I had with a lot of the individuals back then. So, coming back to the show, for me it was like meeting everyone for the first time, which was cool, and it was a very awesome opportunity, but obviously being in such a different place in my life, I got to know people at a different place." 

Wahler has been incredibly open about his journey with sobriety, even confessing he relapsed in 2018 and 2020. While he hasn't tried to hide that, it's opened the door for encouragement among his fans and followers who also struggle with the same thing. As he's recently been honored the title of Ambassador of CLEAN Cause, a sparkling Yerba maté beverage company that uses 50% of their profits to fund sober living scholarships across the United States, he opened up to his fans on social media what it's been like battling an addiction. "The Yerba Maté tea is actually fantastic. It's strong, it's a very strong caffeine. If I'm going to enjoy it, instead of having a coffee, I'll have about a half of a can, but if I'm going to go workout, instead of utilizing all the pre-workout stuff — that I use I'll say — I actually drink CLEAN drink and it gets me through the whole thing," he said. 

In the first episode of the second season of The Hills: New Beginnings, Wahler discussed his addiction to Adderall, revealing to PopCulture he now loves using his natural endorphins as a high by doing a lot of outdoor activities like hiking, surfing and fishing. However, he wasn't the only one on the series making changes when it comes to alcohol. Brody Jenner, well known for being a party boy, admitted he was trying to enjoy more sober fun these days, which is something he and Wahler have chatted about. Wahler said this time around, it was easier for him to be on the show when it comes to being sober because he had "exit strategies" by having his "mentors on-call" giving him all the tools in place to succeed.