Jessica Simpson opened up about maintaining her sobriety during the coronavirus pandemic.
On a recent episode of SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show,” the fashion designer revealed she has not felt the need to drink since giving it up almost three years ago — even though the current lockdown has been a huge temptation for some to imbibe.
“People are like, ‘Don’t you want to drink during this pandemic? Oh my god, aren’t your kids driving you crazy?'” the 40-year-old star began. “I’m like, ‘No, I do not want to drink, like I have not wanted it.”
“I feel like that’s a big blessing,” she continued. “Once I surrendered and gave it over I never looked back and my husband did it with me so that support was amazing.”
In her memoir “Open Book,” Jessica wrote of her struggle with alcohol and realized she needed to make a change for her children. She shares Maxwell, 8, Ace, 7, and Birdie, 1, with husband Eric Johnson.
“I did make a huge shift in my life,” she confessed on the podcast. “I was at that point in my life where my kid were growing older and they were watching every move that I made. I just really wanted clarity.”
The former reality star went on to say that she didn’t realize how much she was drinking at the time and how it was affecting her.
“I thought it was making me brave,” she continued. “I thought it was making me confident and it was actually the complete opposite — it was silencing me.”
After Jessica said she felt “numb” from the substance abuse, she knew she had to do some tough “self-reflection.”
“It takes a lot of courage,” she explained. “I can promise anyone on the other side of that fear, that courage is so beautiful and it’s one of the most rewarding things and decisions I have ever made in my life.”
Now the “Dukes of Hazzard” vet is taking advantage of the lockdown to continue the self-reflection.
“Through the pandemic every morning I journal and I haven’t done that in forever,” she admitted, “Normally it was to do song writing or something like that. But now every morning I sit with my journal. I confront myself before I confront my family.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please contact the SAMHSA substance abuse helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
