Jessica Simpson shared a candid photo of herself from four years ago on social media depicting her first day without alcohol, and detailed in an honest, emotional post the way she felt that day as she began her journey to sobriety.
The 41-year-old Simpson wrote on Instagram: “This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017 is an unrecognizable version of myself. I had so much self-discovery to unlock and explore. I knew in this very moment I would allow myself to take back my light, show victory over my internal battle of self-respect, and brave this world with piercing clarity. Personally, to do this I needed to stop drinking alcohol because it kept my mind and heart circling in the same direction and quite honestly I was exhausted. I wanted to feel the pain so I could carry it like a badge of honor. I wanted to live as a leader does and break cycles to advance forward- never looking back with regret and remorse over any choice I have made and would make for the rest of my time here within this beautiful world.” Simpson added, “There is so much stigma around the word alcoholism or the label of an alcoholic. The real work that needed to be done in my life was to actually accept failure, pain, brokenness, and self-sabotage. The drinking wasn’t the issue. I was. I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power. Today I do. I have made nice with the fears and I have accepted the parts of my life that are just sad. I own my personal power with soulful courage. I am wildly honest and comfortably open. I am free.”
In January 2020, Simpson opened up about her alcoholism in her memoir Open Book, saying she hit “rock bottom”on Halloween 2017 — a day where she recounts “zoning out” from drinking and was unable to dress her kids. She wrote in her memoir: “I was terrified of letting them see me in that shape. I am ashamed to say that I don’t know who got them into their costumes that night.” The next day she confided in her friends, saying: “I need to stop. Something’s got to stop. And if it’s alcohol that’s doing this and making things worse, then I quit.”
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