How Chrissy Teigen Knew She Was Drinking Too Much
Chrissy Teigen has bravely admitted to struggling with alcohol issues and is currently trying out sobriety.
Chrissy Teigen is opening up about her relationship with alcohol, saying she's taking a step back from drinking for a while for the sake of her health.
The cookbook author — who is famous for keeping it real when it comes to seemingly personal topics like getting plastic surgery procedures, dealing with depression or revealing the secrets of her sex life — recently opened up about how her drinking became problematic and that she is currently taking a break from the bottle.
"I was, point blank, just drinking too much," she told Cosmopolitan. "I got used to being in hair and makeup and having a glass of wine. Then that glass of wine would carry over into me having one before the awards show. And then a bunch at the awards show. And then I felt bad for making kind of an ass of myself to people that I really respected. And that feeling, there's just nothing like that. You feel horrible. It's not a good look for me, for John, for anybody."
Teigen, who has never been shy about sharing her drinking escapades on social media, admits that she doesn't "know how to go to an awards show and not drink" and that she's the type of person who "can't just have one drink." In fact, alcohol abuse runs in her family. She's also taking a bunch of medications for postpartum depression and anxiety, and "alcohol is like the least thing that helps."
While her drinking never worried others, the 31-year-old came to the conclusion that she needed to change on her own. "Nobody really brought it up to me," she said. "They just assumed that it was OK because I always felt OK the next morning. I knew in my heart it wasn't right. It makes you very short with people. People think it's cutesy and fun to go on these boozy brunches, but there's more to it. I've never once been like, 'I'm sure glad I had that boozy brunch!'"
During a recent wellness retreat in Bali with her family Chrissy stayed away from alcohol completely. Not only did she not miss it, she ate better and worked out, describing the experience as "really, really wonderful."
"I would wake up feeling amazing. My skin felt amazing. I was just so happy," she said.
The star, who is preparing to go through another round of IVF treatments in hopes of having baby number two with husband John Legend, hasn't decided if she's going to go totally sober, but she is determined to change. "I used to think it was kind of nutty to have to go totally sober, but now I get it," she admits. "I don't want to be that person … I have to fix myself."
Teigen is not alone in her struggle. According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, one out of every eight Americans abuses alcohol, while 13.7 percent engage in "high risk" drinking — four or more drinks per day for women and five for men, as well as an additional day per week that they exceed those limits.
While we admire Teigen for bravely tackling such a difficult topic with grace, dignity and poise, because it's a day that ends in "y" the internet trolls were out to get her. But she just told them they were mean and moved on. Because sober or not, Chrissy is just awesome like that.
Here are some physical signs of alcoholism to look out for and some factors that cause it.
What Do YOU Think?
Do you admire Chrissy Teigen for coming clean about her struggle with alcohol? Have you ever had a drinking problem? Does opening up about it help?