Chrissy Teigen Marks 1 Year Sober With A Family Video & Honest Instagram Caption

When it comes to going sober, Chrissy Teigen has been extremely open about her journey so far — sharing the very real moments and happy milestones, too, like her first holiday season without alcohol (and the attendant “crucial recipe errors,” she wrote in a Thanksgiving Instagram post). Now, she’s celebrating another major achievement: one year sober.

The Cravings author made the announcement in a July 18 Instagram post, and opened up about how much life has changed in the last 365 days. “I miss feeling loopy and carefree sometimes, but to be honest toward the end, it didn’t give that fun feeling anymore anyhow,” she wrote in the caption to her post, a video montage of her family’s travels — seemingly in Europe, for husband John Legend’s tour.

“I drank to end crazy anxiety that later mostly went away when I — get this — quit drinking! sigh,” Teigen continued. “Anyhow I feel really good.”

Teigen went on to share several examples of things she “should remember way better” but doesn’t, due to alcohol. “Like when I drank cafe patron and fell asleep while an Outback Steakhouse chef taught me (my friends) how to make a bloomin onion at my house,” she recalled. “I wish I was awake for that. Wish I remembered really any awards show lol. There are pictures from huge moments in life where my eyes just look…gone. Some are from real work shoots, some just beach days with the family.”

What does sobriety look like for Teigen, moving forward? “While I honestly STILL don’t know if I’ll never have a drink again, I do know I never want to be that way again,” she said. “And for now, none is best. I’ll let the bad dreams come up and try to sort them out in therapy, without booze.”

Teigen ended her message by asking Outback for a second try at that iconic fried appetizer.

If you’ve been following Teigen this far, you know that she’s been vocal about the ups and downs of her sobriety journey — which actually spans longer than the past year. Last January, for example, she celebrated being sober at President Biden’s inauguration, writing on Twitter that she was “very happy,” and “everything is new and better.” The following September, though, she acknowledged she’d “had a few (wine) hiccups in the road” before embarking upon her current streak.

Early on in her sobriety journey, Tiegen cited Holly Whitaker’s Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol as a catalyst for making a change, once calling it “an incredible read” on her Instagram story.

Whitaker herself spoke to Bustle in 2019 — and provided a helpful reminder to those who want to get sober, but are worried about how their loved ones might react. “You don’t ever have to explain yourself,” she said. “This is your choice, about your life, and you don’t owe explanations or need to make cases for your decisions. I’ve found that I’ve learned the most about myself, and grown my boundaries, from such conversations.”

If you or someone you know is seeking help for substance use, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP(4357).