"I don’t want to keep living the way I have for the past 64 years. I want the last 20 to be better, cleaner, cooler, and more exciting,” says Bertinelli.
Valerie Bertinelli has been alcohol-free for over six months and is feeling better than ever.
On July 1, the author of "Indulge," aged 64, celebrated this milestone on Instagram. Now, she’s discussing the most noticeable changes since quitting alcohol.
“Even with life's challenges, I find it easier to quickly gain clarity on what I need to do and take care of my life,” she says. “I feel good when I wake up. I’m not groggy, tired, or wondering, ‘What did I do last night?’”
The "Hot in Cleveland" actress considers herself fortunate.
“I don’t think I ever had a serious problem with alcohol, which made it somewhat easier to start with Dry January,” she explains. “Then I thought, ‘I’m halfway through February, so why not keep going?’ And now, it’s become a bit of a game for me.”
In a cover story, Bertinelli revealed that she used food and alcohol to soothe and ignore issues she shouldn’t have been ignoring. Over the last six months, she’s shown that this is no longer the case.
“It keeps me honest about my emotions and my mental health journey, and the work I want to do in that area,” she says.
While the most significant changes in her life have brought positive short-term results, Bertinelli stopped drinking with her long-term future in mind.
“I often say, ‘If I’m lucky, I have 20 more years,’ and I want them to be the best years of my life. I don’t want to continue the same way I have for the past 64 years,” she says. “I want a better, cleaner, cooler, and more exciting way to live the last 20 years.”
While promoting her charmingly designed spatula for Williams Sonoma’s collaboration with No Kid Hungry, Bertinelli also discussed her openness with fans on social media.
“I’ve always been very open,” she jokes. “But in the last five or six years, I’ve become more honest. Once I decided to stop pretending to be happy and started being as authentic as possible, I think it resonated with people.”
As she shared insights on healing from toxic relationships and working on her mental health, Bertinelli noticed it resonated with others.
“Sometimes, we can offer a hand and say, ‘I’m trying to do this, and if you need help, I’m here too,’” she says. “Having a platform to extend that hand and invite others to join me is fulfilling. If sharing my feelings helps someone else, why wouldn’t I do it?”
The Quran - Chapter As-Saf: 02 - 03
O believers! Why do you say what you do not do?
How despicable it is in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do!
