Actress Lucy Hale Talks Getting Sober, Victory Over Alcoholism
By Movieguide® Contributor
In a recent interview, Lucy Hale opened up about her struggle with alcoholism and the freedom she has found since getting sober.
“I have never talked publicly about being sober—I have a little over a year of sobriety,” Hale said. “I have been working on getting sober since I was 20; I’m 33. It took time. It took patience with myself.”
Hale has struggled with alcohol since her first experience drinking when she was only 14.
“I just held on to that belief that the real Lucy came out when she was drinking,” Hale said. “It also quieted my mind…my brain just doesn’t shut off and it’s exhausting. I was a textbook binge drinker, blackout, wouldn’t remember what I did or what I said, which is scary.”
Hale found escape through alcohol, which made her unable to break the addiction for a long time. Her family and friends had tried to stage interventions, but nothing helped.
“I tried to change for boyfriends, I tried to change for my mum, I tried to change for my career, I tried to change for vain reasons—‘I’ll look younger and look skinnier. I’ll stop drinking for that.’ One of my best friends died of alcoholism and that still didn’t make me want to get sober,” she added.
Ultimately, the change came when Hale committed to cutting alcohol out of her life on January 2, 2022, because she realized she “deserves more out of this life.”
Hale celebrated her first year of sobriety with a festive cake and “1 Year!” written on the top in yellow frosting. Posting on Instagram, she wrote, “this is a post about self-love and about the greatest thing I’ve ever done. On Jan. 2, 2023, I celebrated one year of sobriety.”
Sharing her sobriety journey has been “freeing” for Hale, and she said being alcohol-free feels “peaceful.”
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