Valerie Bertinelli is living her best life. The TV personality revealed that she gave up alcohol and has been completely alcohol-free for the past six months. She said that she made the decision as part of participating in Dry January. However, she decided to carry the decision forward and hasn't looked back.
"I don't think I ever really had a problem [with alcohol], and that's why it was a bit, I don't want to say easy, but it was an easier path for me to start with Dry January," she told People magazine. "And then go, 'Well, I'm halfway through February. Now I might as well just keep going.' And now for me, I kind of make a game of it."
After leaving alcohol behind for six months, Bertinelli said she's noticed a positive impact in her life so far. She doesn't feel as tired.
"Even with life struggles and how life can be challenging, I find that it is easier to get myself clearer faster, about what I need to do and taking care of my life," the star explained. "I feel good when I wake up in the morning. I'm not groggy — I'm not tired. I'm not: 'What did I do last night?'"
Valerie Bertinelli Talks Getting Rid Of Alcohol
Getting a divorce from her second husband Tom Vitale helped inspire Bertinelli to quit drinking.
"I was still going through a lot of crap, and I knew that I wanted to be on the road of intentionally finding my core happiness," Bertinelli said. At the time, both food and alcohol were in Bertinelli's "toolkit for soothing and ignoring s--- that I shouldn't be soothing and ignoring."
She said that alcohol used to amplify her sadness. "I would go out and have a fun time, drink, and the next day, I'd be so sad," she remembered. "Because there was so much sadness in my life, and alcohol amplified it. I think it's important to really not numb emotional pain."
Bertinelli said that she's looking forward to the future.
"[It's] keeping me honest about my emotions and honest about my mental health journey, and my work that I want to do there," she continued. "I say all the time, 'If I'm lucky, I have 20 more years left,' and I want them to be the best years of my life. And I don't want to be doing what I've been doing the last 64 years," she added, of eliminating drinking. "I want a better, cleaner, cooler, more exciting way to knock out the last 20."
