Patricia Heaton divulged that a singular interaction with her son acted as the wake-up call that ultimately moved her to stop drinking.
“Right before the pandemic, my children had left home and I wasn’t working,” the “Everybody Loves Raymond” actress, 68, told Woman’s World in an interview published Wednesday.
“The things that had always anchored me — my family and my work — were gone,” she recalled. “I started thinking, ‘What am I supposed to do today?’”
“A glass of wine while cooking became wine with dinner, wine while cleaning up and wine while watching ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Jeopardy!’” Heaton continued.
Heaton admitted she knew her habits had become questionable, saying, “As an actor, you study behavior. I noticed my own behavior changing. I was thinking about alcohol differently.”
The Emmy winner recalled reaching out to a higher power. “‘God, I think You want me to stop drinking. I would be willing to stop, but you have to make it happen because I can’t. I’m willing, but I’m unable,’” she said, recounting a prayer.
Heaton’s answer, she recalled, came swiftly in a confrontation with her youngest son that “mortified” her.
“I was with my sons and their friends, and I couldn’t pronounce the word ‘tradition,’” Heaton divulged. “I tried three times. My youngest son said, ‘That’s great, mom. You can’t even speak.’”
The sitcom star — who shares sons Samuel, John, Joseph and Daniel with longtime husband David Hunt — said she went back to God to acknowledge the message.
“The next morning I said, ‘OK, God. Message received,’” she told the outlet. “That was eight years ago.”
Heaton then channeled her sobriety into a business venture with Hunt, creating non-alcoholic, California grape wines under the brand name Solubrae.
The celebrated TV actress has spoken out about her sobriety journey before. In a 2021 social media upload, she shared with followers that she was celebrating three years of “freedom from alcohol.”
“It’s July when we celebrate our nation’s freedom. Also celebrating three years of freedom from alcohol for me,” she said in a clip as she took a brisk walk around a reservoir.
“So, just wanted to share that with you,” she added. “And message me if any of you are thinking about doing that, any of you are doing that now and need some encouragement or anything at all. Have a great day.”
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