Jessica Simpson marked six years of sobriety by sharing an “unrecognizable” photo of herself taken on the day she decided to stop drinking.
Appearing sad but pensive, the “Irresistible” singer sits on a couch in a pink tracksuit gazing into the distance as a beam of light shines on her face.
Simpson re-shared the photo, which she originally posted on her Instagram grid on Nov. 1, 2021 to celebrate four years of sobriety, on her Story Thursday and wrote, “6 years ago.”
“This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017 is an unrecognizable version of myself,” she wrote in the original caption.
“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.”
The “Newlyweds” alum, 43, explained that she needed to stop drinking alcohol because it “exhausted” her to have her “mind and heart circling in the same direction.”
“I wanted to feel the pain so I could carry it like a badge of honor,” she continued. “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, who went on to lose 100 pounds after getting sober, admitted drinking wasn’t her issue but rather her lack of self-love and self-worth, but she rediscovered herself and started over.
“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,” she concluded.
“I am wildly honest and comfortably open. I am free.”
The “I Think I’m in Love With You” performer has discussed candidly her battle with alcoholism, revealing in her 2020 memoir, “Open Book,” that she started depending on alcohol and pills during her relationship with John Mayer in 2007 after her divorce from Nick Lachey.
“He was so clever and treated conversation like a friendly competition that he had to win,” she wrote of the Grammy winner.
“When I tried to leap back in and say something to add to the dialogue he was having with himself, he would challenge what I said and I’d get quiet. I was so afraid of disappointing him that I couldn’t even text him without having someone check my grammar and spelling.”
The mounting insecurity and pressure pushed Simpson toward imbibing to calm her anxiety.
“My anxiety would spike, and I would pour another drink,” the fashion mogul shared. “It was the start of me relying on alcohol to mask my nerves.”
Simpson went on to marry Eric Johnson in 2014, and they have three children.
