HGTV Star David Bromstad Candidly Reveals How Losing His Beloved Home in a Storm Made Him Turn to Substance Abuse as an ‘Escape’

HGTV star David Bromstad has opened up about how the loss of his beloved Florida home to a disastrous storm led him to begin abusing substances as a way of escaping the nightmare he found himself in.

Bromstad, 52, who shot to fame after winning the debut season of "HGTV Design Star" in 2006, is set to speak out about his substance abuse journey in his new show, "My Lottery Dream Home: David's Happy Ending," which airs Dec. 19.

In a teaser clip from the HGTV special, which was obtained by People, the renovation and design pro explains how he began "using substances" as a means of coping with the extraordinary stress he experienced after his Florida home was decimated during a violent storm—after he had spent years renovating it into the house of his dreams.

Bromstad admits in the clip that he was "emotionally attached" to the home, noting that "whatever happens to the house feels like it's happening to you deep within."

While the property was not completely destroyed by the storm, the structural damage sustained, coupled with the potential for mold, forced him to take the home back down to the studs.

"With all of the drama, the house, the stress, insurance claims, needing money—I just had to keep busy. My vision for the house was no longer clear. Everything was in chaos," he admitted.

He attempted to keep things under control and focus on passions outside of the home, explaining that he tried to gloss over the brutal reality of what was really happening to him.

"I called it art in the moment, but it wasn't," he said. "It was a cover-up to what was really happening. I was losing control."

However, as the reality of the damage to his property became increasingly stark, Bromstad admitted that he felt as though his "mind was going crazy," confessing that he fell into a "spiral" he couldn't escape.

"I was starting to spiral. I got into some unhealthy behaviors and it's really easy to go there when you're under distress," he said.

"Using substances has been ... it's a real easy escape to take yourself out of a stressful situation. I knew I was in trouble."

Ultimately, Bromstad felt that the only way to escape his stress was to unplug for a year, during which he spent time traveling around Norway.

The one-hour special will focus on Bromstad's new renovations of his Florida property to restore it to the lavish sanctuary he had previously created for himself.

In August 2023, Bromstad publicly opened about his sobriety on Instagram, while recounting his vacation.

"The dread turned into accomplishment which in turned made my cry.

"I sat and let the tears roll down my face and felt that beautiful emotion. Letting go of [past] mistakes and regrets. Letting these moments pass through me has given me an intense clarity. Building foundations! Feels good to be present, sober, and living the life I was intended to live," he said.

Most recently, Bromstad told TV Insider that his passion has helped get him out of difficult times.

"This isn’t the first time art has saved my life. Through substance abuse and not being kind to myself, the one thing that’s always remained secure and steady has been my creative talent," he said.

"My Lottery Dream Home: David’s Happy Ending" hits TV screens on Friday, Dec. 19 at 9 p.m. ET.