While celebrating her sobriety, Jessica Simpson took to Instagram to re-share an “unrecognizable” photo of herself at the start of her journey in 2017. 

In the photo, Simpson is dressed in a pink tracksuit while she sits in the dark staring at the camera with tears streaking down her face. The I Wanna Love You Forever songstress then shared the story of when she decided to stop drinking alcohol.

“This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017 is an unrecognizable version of myself,” Jessica Simpson explained. “I had so much self discovery to unlock and explore. I knew in this moment I would allow myself to take back my light, show victory over my internal battle of self respect and brave the world with piercing clarity. Personally, to do this I needed to stop drinking alcohol.”

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Simpson also stated that alcohol had her mind and heart circling in the same direction, leaving her exhausted. “I wanted to feel the pain so I could carry it like a badge of honor,” she continued. “I want 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.”

Jessica Simpson went on to declare that while at the time it had been four years since she started sobriety journey, it feels more like only two years. She pointed out the stigma surrounding the work “alcohol” or the “alcoholic” label. “The real work that needed to be done in my life was to actually accept failure, pain, brokenness, and self sabotage. I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power. Today I do.”

Simpson added she had “made nice” with the fears she had.

Jessica Simpson Admitted in Her 2021 Memoir She Struggled With Alcohol and Pill Addictions

In an excerpt provided by People, Jessica Simpson wrote about her struggles with both alcohol and pill addiction in her 2021 memoir, Open Book. 

“I was killing myself with all the drinking and pills,” she admitted. The singer also declared that she gave up alcohol in November 2021 and hasn’t had a drink since. “Giving up the alcohol was easy,” she explained. “I was made at that bottle, at how it allowed me to stay complacent and numb.” 

Jessica Simpson admitted that while therapy was the key to helping her get through addiction, it was also the hard part. “With work, I allowed myself to feel the traumas I’d been through,” she wrote. She further revealed that things took a turn during a Halloween party in 2017. “I need to stop. Something’s got to stop. And if it’s the alcohol that’s doing this, and making things worse, then I quit.”

Along with therapy, Jessica Simpson said her parents, a team of doctors, and twice-weekly therapy, helped her through. “When I finally said I needed help,” she recalled. “It was like I was a little girl that found her calling again in life. “I found direction and that was to walk straight ahead with no fear. Honesty is hard, but it’s the most rewarding thing we have.”