Actress Patricia Heaton celebrates being free from alcohol for 3 years
Emmy Award-winning actress Patricia Heaton took to social media to celebrate three years of freedom from alcohol and offered encouragement to others looking for support.
In a recent video post, the "Everybody Loves Raymond" actress said that July is not only the month where America commemorates independence, it's also when she celebrates her sobriety.
"It's July where we celebrate our nation's freedom," she said. "Also, celebrating three years of freedom from alcohol for me. I just wanted to share that with you.”
Heaton, who is outspoken about her Christian faith, offered encouragement to others struggling with addiction.
“Message me if any of you are thinking about doing that, any of you are doing that now and need some encouragement,” she said.
In an interview with Parade magazine last year, the 63 year old revealed she decided to stop drinking after consuming alcohol became routine for her.
"I miss it terribly, but at the end of the day, I feel better," she confessed. "I noticed that I was looking forward every night to cocktails. And if I happened to go to lunch, I might have a glass of wine or Prosecco. There's an actual statistic that women who were moderate drinkers in their 30s and 40s often become alcoholics in their 50s and 60s."
"You're a little bit at sea, and so you reach for the bottle to dull the uncertainty," she added. "I sensed that a bit with myself. And as your hormones change, you can't really process alcohol the same way you did when you were younger. I've stopped, and my life has improved significantly."
The mother of four and author of Your Second Act: Inspiring Stories of Reinvention also told People that she believes she's in her “second act” of life. She credited her devotion to God for helping her change her life for the better.
A professing Catholic, Heaton regularly shares Bible verses with her nearly 200,000 Instagram followers.
One of her latest posts, which highlighted her humanitarian work with World Vision, featured Philippians 4:8. The verse says: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things."
“What’s putting a smile on your face today?” she captioned the post.
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: jeannie.law@christianpost.com She's also the author of the book, What Is Happening to Me? How to Defeat Your Unseen Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic