AceShowbiz - After news broke on Tuesday, March 4, that Jax Taylor has been dealing with substance issues, his former wife Brittany Cartwright released a heartfelt statement on her Instagram Stories. She shared that Taylor's addictions have caused "irreparable damage" to herself and their 3-year-old son, Cruz Cauchi.

"His addiction unfortunately has done irreparable damage to my son and I. I've spent years trying to help him," Cartwright wrote. "I wish more than anyone I could say how proud I am of him today but I'd be lying. His actions will speak for themselves."

Cartwright addressed questions she had been receiving about why she stayed with Taylor despite his substance issues. "You can't help who you fall in love with. I've done absolutely everything in my power to get him the help he desperately needed," she explained.

"Unfortunately, I was naive and believed his empty promises and his pleads to change for years. Once you have a child with someone it's not easy to leave," she continued. "It took everything in my power to gather the strength to walk away. For those that have been through similar, you get it. For those that question me...that's okay. I'm in a much better place now."

Earlier in the week, Taylor candidly discussed his battle with substance abuse during his appearance on Bravo's "Hot Mic" podcast with host Alex Baskin. He revealed that he's had "substance issues - primarily with cocaine" for the past 20 years.

Taylor shared that his son is the driving force behind his efforts to get sober. "The big thing here is my son. He's my drive and he's my No. 1 driver for this," the former "Vanderpump Rules" star stated.

He confessed to questionable behavior, especially in front of his young son, and it was a wake-up call for him. "That's when I knew, 'S***, I have a problem. It's still there,' " he said. After this realization, he checked himself back into rehab.

"Obviously, I'm not the type of person who can have one drink and be okay. It's just not in my cards, and I had to stop. I was going to lose custody," he admitted. "I'm embarrassing my ex-wife and I'm embarrassing myself. Nobody's looking at me seriously. I want to do it for myself."

At present, Taylor can only see his son when Cartwright allows him to. "I take care of my son as much as [Brittany] allows me to." he said. "I don't know what else she wants from me. I'm doing everything that she's asked for just because I respect her, and I want to make her happy. I'm going above and beyond to show her that I do care, and I want to be in my son's life."

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.