Jessica Simpson Honors 4 Years Of Sobriety With A Heartbreaking Photo

Jessica Simpson is officially four years sober. On Nov. 1, the singer, actor, designer, and author took to Instagram to reflect on the moment she knew she had to give up alcohol. “This person in the early morning of Nov. 1, 2017 is an unrecognizable version of myself,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself at her lowest point. “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.”

Halloween changed everything for Simpson. In her 2020 memoir, Open Book, she recalled drinking all day, starting at 7:30 a.m., and couldn’t remember who got her kids dressed in their costumes. That evening, she took an Ambien and woke up the next morning feeling too guilty to face her kids. She started drinking again once they left for school, but her friends came over that day and staged an intervention. The now 41-year-old mother said that she hit “rock bottom” and knew that she had to give up alcohol altogether.

Elsewhere in her Instagram caption, Simpson wrote that alcohol kept her “mind and heart circling in the same direction” and that it had become exhausting. “I wanted to feel the pain so I could carry it like a badge of honor,” she added. “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.”

Now, Simpson “can’t believe” that it’s been four years since she made the decision to become sober. “It feels like maybe 2,” she continued. “I think that is a good thing. Ha. 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.”

Ultimately, the multihyphenate thinks the problem was much deeper than alcohol. “The drinking wasn’t the issue. I was,” she wrote. “I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power. Today I do.” She closed out her emotional social media post by saying that she’s faced her fears and “accepted the parts of my life that are just sad.” “I own my personal power with soulful courage,” she said. “I am wildly honest and comfortably open. I am free.”

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