“Teen Mom” fans praised Devoin Austin after the Florida native took a “big step” in his recovery. Austin spent time in rehab to treat his gambling addiction, something he addressed for the first time in July 2022.
Austin shared a photo of a document he signed to Instagram stories on December 11, voluntarily excluding himself from gambling. He wrote, “First step.”
“I have a gambling problem,” part of the document says. “I understand that if I selected one (1) year or five years, there is no appeal process. I also understand that if I select “LIFETIME,” I must wait until five (5) years has expired before requesting to be removed from the program.”
Austin didn’t indicate which exclusion he selected.
The Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG) says on its website that they have an exclusion program for patrons who “have lost control over their gambling and are no longer in charge of their behaviors.”
Patrons who have signed the waiver are not permitted to gamble “at one or more venues.”
Austin is the ex-boyfriend of “Teen Mom” star Briana DeJesus. They share one daughter together, 11-year-old Nova. Over the years, he has also stepped in as a pseudo-father to Stella, the 5-year-old daughter DeJesus welcomed with her ex-boyfriend, Luis Hernandez.
But in the throws of his addiction, DeJesus claimed that Austin hadn’t seen his daughter in months.
Fans Applauded Austin’s Decision
Social media users on Reddit were proud of Austin’s choice. A picture of his Instagram story garnered more than 500 upvotes and sparked more than 100 responses.
“Good for Devoin. This seems like progress,” one fan wrote.
“Proud of him taking the first step. Hope he doesn’t replace this addiction with another,” another person said.
“I will never hate on anyone for bettering their lives when it comes to addiction. This is a huge step for him and I’m so happy he took it! Keep going on the up and up,” reads another popular comment.
Austin wrote that he was “screaming for help” after he lost money at the casino on his 30th birthday.
“I am a gambling addict and I finally lost more than I can cope with to the casino,” Austin wrote, according to screenshots posted by Teen Mom Things. “I am screaming for help. I don’t know what to do.. I’m scared for myself. I just gotta admit that to y’all. Sorry I let you guys down.”
“It’s my 30th birthday tonight and I am the saddest [N-word] in Orlando,” he continued. “Ion think ima recover from this one.”
DeJesus Had a Meeting With Austin’s Family
At Nova’s 11th birthday party, DeJesus told MTV cameras during the December 6 episode of “Teen Mom: The Next Chapter” that Nova’s celebration was the first time she was seeing her father since his birthday in July.
She didn’t want to confront him during the celebration, but she arranged a meeting with Austin’s mother to talk about Nova’s paternal family being absent from her life.
“Nova is in therapy and the therapist suggests we all sit down. Nova doesn’t want to do that. Why? Because Nova is terrified of hurting her dad’s feelings,” DeJesus said during the meeting.
“I’m already trying to fix Nova because I know I’ve made mistakes … so for you to sit here and make it seem like I’m still making those mistakes is a slap to my face and I don’t appreciate that,” she said.
Chartia Austin, Devoin’s mom, argued that DeJesus’ slipups were why Nova was unhappy.
A shouting match ensued and DeJesus walked away from the meeting in tears.
After the episode aired, DeJesus said she had forgiven Austin’s family.
“Honestly everything that has happened during this episode and behind the scenes…I forgive… #teenmom we all fucked up at one point these last few years…. Just like I would want someone to forgive me, I need to learn to do the same. No hard feelings,” she tweeted.
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