Jessica Simpson Shares Powerful Photo From The Day She Became Sober
Jessica Simpson is celebrating four years sober, sharing a powerful photo of herself taken just before she entered treatment
In her 2020 memoir Open Book, Jessica Simpson revealed to the world that she’d battled an addiction to medication and alcohol for years following sexual abuse she’d survived in her childhood. In her book, Simpson shared that she knew she needed help after a Halloween party at her house in 2017, when she struggled to dress her children in their costumes.
She wrote that she knew she needed to change, adding, “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.”
After taking sleep medication and sleeping in the next day, she woke up and told her close friends, “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.”
Now, Simpson is reflecting on that day four years ago, sharing a powerful photo of herself on Instagram before she entered treatment, along with a caption detailing exactly how she felt in that moment. “This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017 is an unrecognizable version of myself,” she shares. “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,” she continues. “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 says she can’t believe it’s already been four years, adding, “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.”
The pop star turned fashion mogul shared photos from her family’s Halloween fun, and it certainly seems like she’s in a much better place. Kudos to her for sharing so honestly and being so open about what are surely some of the toughest things she’s gone through in her life. It takes endless bravery to discuss these topics on such a public scale, and by doing so, she’s helping others feel less alone in whatever struggles they might be experiencing, too.
