‘3 years of freedom from alcohol’

Actress Patricia Heaton, 63, shared on Instagram that she is celebrating three years of sobriety. (Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Patricia Heaton has hit a major sobriety milestone.

The former Everybody Loves Raymond star, 63, took to social media on Saturday to share that she’s celebrating three years of sobriety from alcohol.

In the video, a winded Heaton recorded herself as she completed a three-and-a-half-mile walk around a reservoir. Sporting a hat and sunglasses, Heaton spoke candidly to the camera about her journey to quit drinking.

“It’s July when we celebrate our nation’s freedom. Also celebrating three years of freedom from alcohol for me,” said Heaton, pointing to herself. “I just wanted to share that with you.”

Captioning the video “a lot to celebrate this month. #3years,” Heaton concluded by asking her 190,000 followers to reach out to her if they have experienced something similar.

“And you know, message me if any of your are thinking about doing that, any of you are doing that now and need some encouragement, or anything at all,” Heaton said. “Have a great day.”

In the comments section, several followers chimed in with their own journeys to quit drinking, ranging from some people counting days to others celebrating decades of sobriety.

Last year, Heaton went into more detail about her decision to quit drinking.

“I quit drinking two years ago in July. I miss it terribly, but at the end of the day, I feel better. I noticed that I was looking forward every night to cocktails. And if I happened to go to lunch, I might have a glass of wine or Prosecco,” she shared with Parade magazine.

Heaton continued, discussing the frequency with which women develop alcoholism later in life. 

“There’s an actual statistic that women who were moderate drinkers in their 30s and 40s often become alcoholics in their 50s and 60s. I think it’s something about your children leaving the house and the things that used to anchor you are no longer there,” Heaton continued. “You’re a little bit at sea, and so you reach for the bottle to dull the uncertainty. I sensed that a bit with myself.”

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Heaton added that getting older also changed the way her body was able to metabolize alcohol.

“And as your hormones change, you can’t really process alcohol the same way you did when you were younger. I’ve stopped, and my life has improved significantly,” she shared. “My kids are in their mid-20s and I’ll probably be in my 70s by the time I have grandchildren. I want to be healthy for them.”

When it comes to caring for her mental health, Heaton attributes listening to sermons while swimming, saying “that really helps keep everything in perspective and helps me stay emotionally and spiritually stable.” She’s also a “big believer in therapy,” as well as of eading inspirational books.

“We all have those voices that tell us, ‘You’re getting so old. Your skin is sagging.’ But we can’t let that be the running narrative in our heads,” she said. “Try to appreciate the fact that you can get up and have another day, with many opportunities ahead of you. You don’t have to berate yourself if you have those thoughts. You can say hello to them.”

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