Amber Portwood’s statement from the Teen Mom Season 4 finale Special with Dr. Drew

Last night was the second part of the Teen Mom Season 4 Finale Special with Dr. Drew with updates on Maci Bookout and Amber Portwood. (Catelynn Lowell and Farrah Abraham appeared in Part 1) As you probably could have guessed, Amber was unable to attend because of all her legal and personal issues, but she did write a rather lengthy statement, which Dr. Drew read on the show. Here is her statement in its entirety:

“I can’t be there with you guys today because I had a probation violation. Right now I’m trying to figure out what I’m doing with my life. I guess I just got lost. I went to jail because I had an addiction to opiates. You live and you learn, and that’s real. It was time for me to stop partying, and realize that even though I’m 21, I’m not a normal 21-year-old, I’m a mother, which means I have to grow up quicker, and start acting like a mother.

“I miss Leah a lot, she’s a little mini me. I see pictures of her, and I think of where I went wrong, and how I can fix it so that she can be proud of me.

“As for Gary, I know that he is a good dad. I hope he finds happiness, even if it is not with me. I know that we probably won’t get back together. He has too many insecurities when it comes to our relationship. But I hope that one day we can have a good relationship between us and Leah.

“My number 1 priority is dedicating my life to being sober, to being a sober person, and to show my daugher that people make mistakes, but they can come back. If Leah learns anything from me, she should see how becoming a teen mom can change you — how everything is postponed. I made this show for a reason. I can’t speak for all the girls, but I’m sure they feel the same way. Some decisions change your whole life. If you don’t want to take responsibility and use protection, don’t have sex. This isn’t how you show someone you love them.

“One night can change your life into a sad story. I hope people can look at my story, and think ‘that’s not the way I want to go.’ I know everyone pictures me as a mean person who cusses and hits people, and that’s not me. That’s just what I had to go through to grow up and learn. I want to show everybody that I can do it, that I can start living a straight life and getting my family back in order.”

Amber is currently serving a 5-year prison sentence and according to a recent interview with her mother things are looking up with the 22-year-old losing a lot of weight, starting work on a book, and joining the prison choir!

Although Amber was not at the Finale Special, Gary Shirley was — and more importantly, Leah was! There is no doubt that little girl is coming up in a very difficult environment, but she seemed to be bubbling over with joy when she came out at the end! More so even than the happy meister himself, Bentley!

Good luck to Amber, Gary and Leah in the future — I hope we see them all living healthy (but separate) lives on the “5 Year Later” Teen Mom Reunion Special.