Jessica Simpson is refreshingly honest about how alcohol impacted her motherhood

Jessica Simpson’s life seems perfect. She has three beautiful kids, a wildly successful career, a seemingly solid marriage…she has it all, at least as far as we can see. But recent revelations prove that no one really knows what anyone else is secretly dealing with—and Jessica, by her own admission, has been struggling with alcohol issues.

The singer-turned-business-woman recently sat down with TODAY’s Hoda Kotb, and it will air on NBC’s TODAY Wednesday morning.

“I had started a spiral and I couldn’t catch up with myself…and that was with alcohol,” Jessica explained. “I would say it openly to everyone. ‘I know. I know, I’ll stop soon. I’ll cut back’,” Jessica continued when asked if she realized things were getting out of control. “For me to cut back, like I’m an all or nothing girl, and so I didn’t know it was a problem until it was…I completely didn’t recognize myself…I always had a glitter cup. It was always filled to the rim with alcohol.”

She’s hardly alone. The rise of #winemom phenomenon is well documented and many parents struggle with substance abuse problems. But Simpson’s story proves there is a way to get your life back.

Simpson quit drinking in 2017 after she found herself unable to get her kids ready for a Halloween party. She says she’d started drinking before 7:30 in the morning, before accompanying her husband, Eric Johnson, to a school assembly for their oldest daughter. Later that night she was unable to get her kids dressed in their Halloween costumes. The next morning she was so ashamed. Feeling like she had failed her kids she slept until they left the house, then got up and drank some more.

That episode was her tipping point. She quit drinking (as did her husband, Eric Johnson, who supports her in her sobriety.)

As parents, we know how overwhelming the demands can be…and how easy it is to sink into habits that don’t ultimately serve us well. For Jessica, the way to heal was to sever her relationship with alcohol.

“I had to give [drinking] up,” Jessica said. “I’m not going to miss another day. I’m not going to miss another Halloween. I’m not going to miss another Christmas. I’m going to be present.”

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