Jessica Simpson Reflects on Overcoming Alcohol Abuse: ‘Drinking Wasn’t Numbing My Pain, It Was Actually Causing More’

Jessica Simpson celebrated eight years of sobriety in November, and she took a moment to reflect on her journey of overcoming alcoholism during her Monday (June 1) concert in Highland, Calif.

“I didn’t understand all of the traumas that I was holding onto. And it was really painful once I started searching in myself to find what I could reveal,” the singer and fashion designer said. “I became somebody that I was afraid of, somebody I did not know and understand.”

The 45-year-old continued: “I was a mother and I felt I wasn’t being a good role model and it wasn’t until a year later that I realized that the drinking wasn’t numbing my pain, it was actually causing more. It was a crutch that was wasn’t working.”

Simpson provided context about her trials and tribulations to get to this point of sobriety before introducing a new song to perform titled “Give It All Away” during Monday’s concert.

“In all honesty, I’m a work in progress and I celebrate each and every day that I feel alive and in my body and I’m very proud of myself so it felt right to share this song with you,” she added. “I want all of you to know that you should have a little grace for yourself and everything is gonna be okay if you just give it all away.”

The “Take My Breath Away” singer, who’s a mother of three, celebrated crossing eight years of sobriety on Nov. 1. The powerful decision to get back in control came after a drunken Halloween in 2017 where Simpson realized she had to change her ways, which she detailed in her 2020 memoir Open Book.

“8 years ago today I made the choice to confront, to confess and to let go of the self-sabotaging parts of my life that I was choosing,” Simpson wrote to Instagram. “Making that decision allowed me to fully live in the pursuit of God’s purpose for my life. Alcohol silenced my intuition, blocked my dreams and chased my circulating fears of complacency.”

She went on: “Today I am clear. Today I am driven by faith. Both fear and faith are something that we feel and may not see, I’m so happy I chose faith over fear. It was not in the fight that I found my strength, it was in the surrender.”

Jessica Simpson returned to music in 2025 with a pair of EPs: Nashville Canyon, Pt. 1 and a Pt. 2 sequel. The former reality TV star is back on the road touring the U.S. with upcoming shows in Bethlehem, Pa., Waterloo, N.Y. and Kettering, Ohio, later this month.