Jessica Simpson
(Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)Jessica Simpson marked 7 years of sobriety with a poignant post to commemorate the milestone.
On Friday, November 1, the 44-year-old singer shared a black and white photo on social media via Instagram of herself looking out an airplane window.
“Seven years ago today I walked myself into the light of being alcohol free 🤍,” she captioned the image.
Enthusiasts flocked to the comments section to applaud Simpson for the post, actor included Johannes Stamos, who wrote: “Bravo.”
Fans also congratulated the “I Wanna Love You Forever” singer on her sobriety achievement.
“Congratulations on 7 years as Queen!!!! It’s a beautiful life 🌻,” one follower wrote, while another added: “You’ll never know how many women you’ve inspired to do the same @jessicasimpson !!!! Thank you for sharing your vulnerability, your strength, your hope, your passion, your joy and your FREEDOM… happy 7!!! 🎂”
The singer previously opened up about how she became dependent on alcohol as a way to cope with her past trauma, including childhood sexual abuse.
Simpson recalled this in a revealing interview on Today in January 2020 that she knew the issue had become a major problem in October 2017, when she didn’t show up for her children on Halloween. (Simpson shares Maxwell, Ace and Birdie with husband Eric Johnson).
“I honestly couldn’t even tell you who prepared them. I was just dazed and confused, and I just wanted to go to sleep,” Simpson said on Today. “I didn’t let them trick-or-treat. I didn’t show up for my family. I took the photo and let the world think I showed up.”
The incident became the catalyst for Simpson to make the decision to quit drinking for good and start working with a therapist.
“I just realized I had to surrender,” she said Today host Hoda Kotb. “I just want to continue on the path I’m on now, and at this point in my life I’m strong enough to handle whatever comes my way. Because I have nothing to retreat into, so I don’t actually go through it.”
She added: “I had gone into a spiral and I couldn’t catch up with myself… and that was with alcohol. Every day I said it: ‘I’ll quit soon. I will cut back. ”
Since then, Simpson has marked every anniversary of her sobriety with a post shared via Instagram, including in 2021 when she shared a photo of herself in 2017 and a lengthy caption reflecting on how far she’s come since putting down the bottle .
“This person in the early morning of November 1, 2017 is an unrecognizable version of myself. I had so much self-discovery to unlock and explore. I knew that in this moment I would allow myself to take back my light, demonstrate victory over my internal battle for self-esteem and face this world with piercing clarity,” she wrote. “Personally, to do this I had to stop drinking alcohol because it kept my mind and heart circling in the same direction and honestly I was exhausted. I wanted to feel the pain so I could wear it like a badge of honor. I wanted to live as a leader and break cycles to move forward. I never wanted to look back with regret and remorse on the choice I made and would make for the rest of my time here in this beautiful world.
I can’t believe it’s been 4 years already! It feels like maybe 2. I think that’s a good thing. Haha.”
Simpson concluded: “There is so much stigma around the word alcoholism or the label of an alcoholic. The real work that needed to be done in my life was actually accepting failure, pain, brokenness, and self-sabotage. The drinking wasn’t the problem. I was. I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own strength. Today I do that. I’ve made peace with the fears and I’ve accepted the parts of my life that are just sad. I own my personal power with soulful courage. I am incredibly honest and comfortably open. I am free.”