What started as an experiment quickly became a lifestyle for Valerie Bertinelli.
The actress is reflecting on her six-month sobriety, a decision that initially stemmed from a desire to take part in a “Dry Janwary,” but also a desire to address her tendency to turn to both food and alcohol for comfort. She posted about the milestone on Instagram earlier this month, marking a bold return to social media.
“I don’t think I really had a problem. [with alcohol]So, I don’t want to say it was easy, but starting Dry Jamwari was an easy path for me,” she said. People Magazine, Reflecting on what her life has been like since the new year, “And I think, ‘Okay, we’re halfway through February, let’s keep going.’ And now it’s become kind of a game for me.”
Valerie Bertinelli on why she quit drinking: ‘There was a lot of sadness in my life’
Valerie Bertinelli has been sober since attending Dry Jamwary earlier this year. (JC Olivera/Getty Images, courtesy of NATAS)
Bertinelli, who has been sober for six months now, has previously said that weight loss has been a benefit of sobriety, but she has noticed other changes as a result.
“Life is hard, and life can be challenging, but I’ve found it’s easier to get clearer on myself about what I need to do and how I want to value my life,” the “Made in Cleveland” star explained. “When I wake up in the morning, I feel good. I’m not sluggish. I’m not tired. I don’t think, ‘What did I do last night?'”
Valerie Bertinelli says giving up alcohol has helped her see other aspects of her life more clearly. (Rodan Eckenroth/Getty Images)
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Bertinelli admitted to the outlet in April that her tumultuous divorce from second husband Tom Vitale had prompted her to decide to quit drinking.
“I was still facing a lot of shit, but I wanted to be intentional and walk the path to finding happiness deep inside of me,” Bertinelli says. At the time, food and alcohol were in her “toolbox to comfort or ignore the shit that shouldn’t be comforted or ignored.”
Valerie Bertinelli said her divorce from her second husband, Tom Vitale, motivated her to quit drinking. (Rich Polk/Getty Images for Saint John)
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“I’m not sluggish. I’m not tired. I don’t think, ‘What did I do last night?'”
“I’d go out and have a good time, have a few drinks, and then the next day I’d feel really sad,” she recalled. “Because there was a lot of sadness in my life and the alcohol just amplified it. I think it’s really important not to numb your emotional pain.”
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Now, Bertinelli knows that sobriety can change not only her present but her future.
“[It’s] “Being able to be honest with my emotions, being honest with my mental health journey, being honest with the work that I want to do out there,” she continued. “I always say, ‘If I’m lucky, I have 20 more years,’ and I want those 20 to be the best years of my life, and I don’t want to do what I’ve been doing for the last 64 years,” she added about quitting drinking. “I want to end those last 20 years in a better, cleaner, cooler, more exciting way.”
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