Jessica Simpson is celebrating a major achievement in her life – six years of sobriety.
On 2 November, Simpson took to Instagram to reshare an intimate photo from the beginning of her alcohol-free journey. She reposted an image of herself from 104 weeks ago to her Instagram Story, in which she was sitting at home with the sunlight streaming in through the window. “Six years ago,” she captioned the Story post.
In the original post, which was shared in November 2021, she initally captioned the image: “This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017 is an unrecognisable version of myself. 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,” Simpson continued. “I wanted to feel the pain so I could carry it like a badge of honour.”
When she initially shared the photograph two years ago, the Dukes of Hazzard star had been four years sober. She reflected on her growth since the day the picture was taken, adding how the stigma of being an alcoholic tends to mask what is truly affecting an individual.
“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,” Simpson wrote. “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 43-year-old singer spoke candidly about her alcoholism battle in her memoir, Open Book, published in 2020. The “With You” vocalist detailed the day she sought help from friends and family, realising her purpose in life again.
Speaking to People in 2020, the mom of three said: “When I finally said I needed help... it was like I was that little girl that found her calling in life again. I found direction and that was to walk straight ahead with no fear.”
“Giving up the alcohol was easy,” she said. “I was mad at that bottle, at how it allowed me to stay complacent and numb.”
When she decided to quit drinking, Simpson admitted she had gotten to a point where the substances were “killing” her. However, the harder part was the reform and self-reflection that came after through therapy. “With work, I allowed myself to feel the traumas I’d been through,” she confessed.
Simpson shares three children with husband Eric Johnson: daughters Maxwell, 11, and Birdie Mae, four, and son Ace, nine. The pair have been married for nine years, tying the knot in 2014. The singer was previously married to Nick Lachey from 2002 to 2006.
