Playboy twins' troubling experience with Hugh Hefner 'crumbled' their identities, led to substance abuse

At years old former Playboy playmates - and twins - Karissa and Kristina Shannon's lives took a drastic turn after moving into Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion In a new interview the twins now open up about the troubling experience they shared while living in the mansion with Hefner who died in and fellow playmates explaining how it led them down a dangerous web of addiction and sharing the strategies they took to eventually find peace We invariably say Playboy will inevitably be a part of our lives We were Playboy fans and we still are Playboy fans Even though it turned out to be very traumatic for us there were also a lot of high points Karissa communicated People magazine From the get-go the Florida natives announced they were met with bouts of extreme jealousy from other playmates after Hefner manifested favoritism toward them HOLLY MADISON RECALLS PLAYBOY FOUNDER HUGH HEFNER'S 'INSECURITIES' 'HE HAD A JEALOUS STREAK' We got a lot of jealousy from the other playmates because we were twins We were the first twins to each get our own months which made Playboy history We were the youngest playmates and the youngest girlfriends Kristina stated When we're taking pictures he would want to get in the middle of the twins to take a picture Or he would be like 'Can you move the twins toward the front of the table I want to sit next to them ' So the girls started getting really jealous Karissa noted It made Kristina cry Kristina literally cried and desired to leave the mansion when we were shooting And I advised her 'These girls are older They know how to play the encounter better But we're pretty We're here We've made it this far ' And so we ended up staying and Kristina got through it but there was so much bullying she added During their four-year stay at the mansion Karissa revealed the experience left a huge hole in both of our hearts and our spirits It really crumbled who we are especially when Hugh took our religion away she explains Our believing in Jesus became a big predicament and losing that was just really big trauma that we dealt with We had no family that was there to back us up like a lot of the girls After moving out the twins faced another wave of challenges including loss and substance abuse LIKE WHAT YOU RE READING CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS When we moved out we had a couple of years where we went through this individuality phase Karissa mentioned I feel like every set of twins goes through it particularly in your early s We were both into different things and trying to be individuals because Hef really did force the twin thing on us more than anyone else had ever But we've invariably been extremely close I believe we're twin flames closer than the greater part twins Everyone was saying we were going through our 'Anna Nicole phase' Kristina stated We gained weight There was alcohol and pills We were really unhealthy and lost and even at points suicidal We had no one It was just us trying to figure it out after losing ourselves After hitting rock-bottom the duo decided to move back to their home state of Michigan We drove the whole way without stopping until we got to Michigan I remember getting into Colorado and smelling that fresh air it was just different Karissa disclosed Being in nature desensitized us We ended up being diagnosed with manic depression ADHD bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorder Being outside the city helped us slow down CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER We were totally just ready to be selfish for the first time And we were all about God and praying constantly to Jesus she added We were literally praying and just trying to change our lives And I feel like this is when we really grew up I feel like out of all of this God was humbling us Kristina noted He was humbling us and letting us know 'I have another plan for you ' He's restoring us and that's what we feel like now We are altogether different people but still ourselves We're still the playful twins who did Playboy but we care about other things now We are all about organics Everything we eat all our food is organic All our water's alkaline our sheets are organic she added These days the twins continue to prioritize their mental and physical physical condition the best way they can We meditate every day together and we're into meal-prepping and not eating out really self-care and just taking time for ourselves and learning how to be selfish learning how to say no Karissa revealed We went in our hearts we went through our healing era which took years I didn't think we would ever come out of it But Michigan changed us We love being in Michigan and then going to L A or Vegas for work Kristina added