Valerie Bertinelli has reached a significant milestone in her journey toward sobriety. On July 1, the former Food Network star took to Instagram to share a sunny selfie, marking six months without alcohol.
“Six months. No alcohol,” she captioned the post, adding a tag for the Reframe app, an alcohol reduction and quitting app that has guided her through this journey.
Bertinelli’s boyfriend, Mike Goodnough, also commented on her post, revealing an interesting coincidence. “Funny how we both just randomly decided to stop drinking only weeks before we met each other,” he wrote, highlighting the shared commitment to a healthier lifestyle.
The Indulge cookbook author has been candid about her decision to give up alcohol over the past several months. In a recent interview, she explained that she didn’t “need anything to amplify my happiness right now,” adding, “I feel high just on life.” She recounted a recent dinner where she celebrated with ginger ale in a wine glass, feeling a sense of celebration without alcohol.
Bertinelli’s journey toward sobriety began while writing her 2022 memoir, Enough Already. Reflecting on that period, she shared, “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.”
The actress faced significant challenges during those years, including the death of her first husband, rocker Eddie Van Halen, in 2020, and her split from her second husband, Tom Vitale, in 2022. During these tough times, she realized that food and alcohol were part of her “toolkit for soothing and ignoring s— that I shouldn’t be soothing and ignoring.”
Bertinelli acknowledged the emotional struggles that accompanied her drinking habits, saying, “I would go out and have a fun time, drink, and the next day, I’d be so sad.” She added that alcohol often amplified the sadness she felt from the emotional pain in her life.
Now, she emphasizes the importance of facing emotions head-on rather than numbing them. “Emotions are information,” she said. “When I decided to really question why I was having a certain emotion, I was able to — most of the time — walk through it and get to the other side.”
Surprisingly, sobriety has been easier for her than anticipated. “I’m actually shocked at how hard it’s not,” she admitted. “Because for a long time, I leaned on it. Right now, I love how I feel more than how the alcohol makes me feel.”
Bertinelli’s journey is a testament to the power of self-reflection and intentional living, inspiring many with her story of resilience and happiness.
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