Exclusive | Now sober Renee Graziano says she was addicted to ‘power’ and men: ‘Drugs were my comfort’
Renee Graziano is getting real about her battle with drug abuse.
In an exclusive interview with Page Six’s “Virtual Reality-T,” the 56-year-old “Mob Wives” alum reveals she thinks her addiction wasn’t to illegal substances — but to the men in her life, the power that came with fame, and the mafia ties that defined her lifestyle.
“Addiction is a dark world. I was never addicted to drugs. I was addicted to power, I was addicted to men, I was addicted to my world, my lifestyle,” she says. “Drugs were my comfort. That’s what kept me going [going],
The reality star — who recently celebrated nine months of sobriety following a near-fatal fentanyl overdose in 2023 — says she once felt like drugs were a “solution” to the grief she suffered from the 2019 death of her father Anthony Graziano and the breakdown of her marriage to ex-husband Hector Pagan Jr.
“In some weird way … I think sometimes self-medication keeps me alive,” she admits. “Because I think if I really had to live without medication I probably wouldn’t have survived. That’s true, and I don’t even like to talk about it that way.”
Renee’s struggles with drugs were featured in later installments of “Mob Wives,” which ran for six seasons on VH1 from 2011 to 2016.
Her sister, Jennifer Graziano — a producer on the reality series who also joined the chat with “Virtual Reality-T” — says the situation was worrisome, but not surprising since Renee had been using it for years at that point.
“Our whole lives have been like that … at that point I almost became immune to it and indifferent to it,” says Jennifer, 52.
Renee says no one is to blame for her drug-related troubles.
“I can’t blame anybody for my addiction. I can’t do that. I want to do that. I think my ex-husband has a role in it, I think my lifestyle has a role in it,” she says. “But at the end of the day, it’s my responsibility to take or not take something. I’m very clear on that.”
Throughout it all, Renee says she made a conscious effort to give viewers a glimpse into the darkest corners of her life — mostly for the betterment of “Mob Wives” and her sister’s career in the unscripted realm.
“My loyalty was never to myself first. So if that meant knowing that my sister would move forward in her career, that was more important to me than anything,” she says.
“If I had been more loyal to myself, I wouldn’t have done the things I did, I wouldn’t have said the things I did, I wouldn’t have gotten drunk the way I got, I wouldn’t have attacked the people I verbally attacked.”
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No matter how outrageous her behavior may have been, Renee says she never “fake” anything in front of the cameras.
“Everything I did was true. I didn’t lie about anything,” she says. “I didn’t hide anything. I should have done that [hidden] Too much.”
Over time, Jennifer has come to appreciate Renee for living her life openly on “Mob Wives.”
“He said it all, and I agree that he did a lot of it for me,” she says.
The sisters will share their experiences in reality TV and beyond in two new podcasts, launching September 18.
Renee’s project is called “Crisis Queen,” an in-depth look at the trauma she’s turned into triumph, while Jennifer’s “Straightened Out” will give “Mob Wives” fans a better understanding of the drama that occurred during production.
“‘Crisis Queen’ is a safe place for people to talk about their trauma. I don’t want to make light of your trauma, I want to make your trauma feel lighter,” says Renee. “I want people to understand they’re not alone. I’m still healing. It’s an ongoing process.”
As for Jennifer, she’s ready to dish about her most memorable moments from “Mob Wives.”
“‘Straightened out’ is a word that’s synonymous with the crowd. We’re using word play, but straightening out the drama and telling the truth,” she teases. “We also talk about other reality shows. We’re all getting into it.”
