Jessica Simpson Opens Up About Alcoholism & Sobriety Journey

After being four years sober, Jessica Simpson opened up about the day she chose to take that change.

During a cover story interview with Entrepreneur, she discussed her fashion brand, the Jessica Simpson Collection. She also spoke about how her inner voice guided her to stop drinking.

"When I stopped drinking, it was because I had stopped hearing the voice I really trusted, and I was lost without her," the "With You" singer admitted to the publication of the moment she decided to make a change in her life.

In her memoir, "Open Book," the star recalled her defining moment. She was at a Halloween party where she zoned out after a couple of drinks and couldn't dress up for her children.

"I was terrified of letting them see me in that shape," Simpson wrote at the time. "I am ashamed to say that I don't know who got them into their costumes that night. 

I slept in, afraid to see them, afraid I had failed them. I hid until they left, then drank. At the moment, I decided, 'I need to stop. Something's got to stop. And if it's alcohol that's doing this and making things worse, then I quit.'"

On November 1, 2021, the singer celebrated her four years of sobriety. She took to her Instagram to mark the milestone to share an honest post, recalling how she felt when she began her sobriety journey.

"This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017 is an unrecognizable version of myself," Simpson wrote alongside a picture of herself from the day she stopped drinking.

"I had so much self-discovery to unlock and explore. I knew at this very moment I would allow myself to take back my light, show victory over my internal battle of self-respect, and brave this world with piercing clarity," she added.

A friend of Simpson's explained to People that the singer was moved to tears by the overwhelming support of her fans after she shared her story on social media.

"It was very real for her," the friend said. "She spent half the day crying. It meant so much to her to hear from people, hear their stories and know that she helped even one person."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brj6dvygGLs

After teasing her fans with cryptic posts on social media, the singer released a stripped-down cover of "Particles" by Nothing But Thieves, which focused on addiction.

"The whole idea of music heals is a very real statement to me," she wrote of the cover's release. "This song healed a broken piece of me."

At the beginning of the song, she sings, "Flirting with an addiction I can't shake off," "My mouth is dry, I self medicate / This comedown won't cure itself."

In the music video directed by Justin Coloma, she sat in a velvet magenta chair, surrounded by stained glasses and candles, singing about, "Baby, tell me if I'm being strange / And if I need to rearrange," she sings. "My particles. I will for you / My particles. I will for you."

"Particles" is the first song we've heard from Simpson after she dropped six songs in tandem with her best-selling memoir, "Open Book." Her album, on the other hand, was released ten years ago.

Pushing back the stigma of the label alcoholic, Simpson noted that drinking wasn't the main issue but a sign of something more profound.

"I was. I didn't love myself. I didn't respect my own power. Today I do. I have made nice with the fears and I have accepted the parts of my life that are just sad," she concluded. "I own my personal power with soulful courage. I am wildly honest and comfortably open. I am free."

In the same interview with Entrepreneur, Simpson took time to talk about how people thought of her as a dumb blonde and how's she's thrilled to go against widespread expectations by working on her fashion line. "Being underestimated, it's like a shield," she added.

She also offered some pieces of advice to anyone who was looking to follow in her stiletto-clad footsteps. She added that although her ideas weren't always great, she was never afraid to offer them up if one or two ended up working out.

"Being comfortable with saying something you're not completely confident about is important," she said. "Just because you're not confident doesn't mean it's not an amazing, bright idea. I always advise people to be very open and let it all out because some of the weirdest ideas are the ones that stick."