What you put into your life is what you will get out of it.

Just two weeks ago, Orange County was making headlines for filing a lawsuit that blamed major pharmaceutical companies for unethically pushing sales of painkillers and other dangerous prescription drugs. Now, Chicago is filing an almost identical lawsuit against some of the same companies.

The FDA is taking a unique approach to raising awareness for prescription drug abuse.

For a few years now, some states have armed their local police officers and EMT’s with Narcan, a drug that has the potential to reverse the effects of a heroin (and other opioid) overdose. According to reports, Narcan has been a lifesaver in states such as Massachusetts, where it has worked on 211 of the 221 people it has been used on since 2010. Other states that are using Narcan include New Jersey and Connecticut, and now New York will follow.

I consider myself lucky to have grown up in Laguna Beach. Not only is it absolutely gorgeous there, but I had great friends and family, and can say that I had a good life all around (despite my challenges). From an outsider’s point of view, it might be hard to imagine that somewhere like Laguna Beach is struggling with a drug epidemic, but I am here to tell you that without a doubt, this nationwide problem has impacted the place that I call home.

Addiction is such an incredibly powerful disease that I understand how people can feel a certain way about it. However, with my own personal experience plus my education on the subject, I wish I was seeing different headlines out of Tennessee. Instead of feeding off of the shock factor, I wish there was a better understanding about addiction (and a stronger acceptance that it is a disease).

Every now and again, you get a reminder that you are exactly where you should be. This happened to me just recently, and I am so grateful for that reminder.

I just recently joined other reality TV stars from both current and past reality shows to talk to students at USC about what reality TV is truly all about. It was a unique experience, especially because myself and the rest of the panel were able to talk to a small group of students and yield some questions.