Everybody Loves Raymond’s Patricia Heaton is known for being a supreme talent on TV but, off screen, she's been honest and forthcoming about her aspects of her personal life. This includes opening up about her former addiction to alcohol. Just recently, Heaton celebrated three years of sobriety and did so by revealing the day that she made the decision to stop drinking.
Apparently, Patricia Heaton's sobriety was initiated by an incident that involved her adult sons. While speaking on the Heart of the Matter podcast (via Today), Heaton remembered having dinner with her sons and their friends and revealed that she began drinking before dinner and only continued through clean up. The Everybody Loves Raymond alum says that at the time, she initially felt clear-minded but that things eventually took a turn later in the evening. For Heaton, her revelation came from a funny joke that didn't pan out too well. Heaton said about telling the joke under the influence:
I was making a joke to the table, and I started saying, 'You know, in our family it’s a tradition…' And I could not pronounce the word 'tradition.' And I tried three times, and I couldn’t say the word. And I can’t even mispronounce it for you the way that I was mispronouncing it. I can’t remember. And my son at the end of the table says, 'Oh great, mom. You can’t even talk.' And I was so humiliated in front of my sons, and their friends. And God knows that that’s all it takes for me — for that kind of sense of their mom looking drunk in front of them. But also, I thought, 'I feel fine. What is happening in my brain? What is the alcohol doing to my brain where the synapses are misfiring to the point where I can’t say this word? And I’m trying to say it and I can’t say it.' It’s almost like having a stroke or something. And it shook me up. And I thought, 'That’s it. That’s it.'
Such a moment would likely shake a number of people. As the actress further explained, it didn't take her too long to start making changes in her life. As of matter of fact, Patricia Heaton revealed that she took control of her drinking the very next day:
And I happened to be having breakfast the next day with one of these sober friends. And I said, 'Well, you’re the first person I’m telling this to, but … this is my first day of never drinking again.' And she was so shocked. She said, 'What happened? I was just at lunch with you when you were downing prosecco.' I told her the incident, and we both kind of laughed, and she told me all these of her own stories. And that’s three years ago July.
One would imagine that Patricia Heaton found some comfort in the fact that she had someone to relate to in her sobriety journey. For many, it can be a difficult goal to achieve, but it helps to have a support system. And in a number of cases, having people in your corner can indeed yield results like Heaton's.
While on the podcast, The Middle alum also pinpointed the events that led to her drinking habits becoming a true problem. She revealed that she was experiencing a bit of empty nest syndrome and that the conclusion of her development deal with CBS also led to an increase in her alcohol consumption. The actress says that at one point, her drinking got so extreme that she would look forward to 5 p.m. every day so that she could start again. And eventually, as she explained, she would stop waiting and start ahead of that time.
It's encouraging to hear how Patricia Heaton confronted her problem. While sobriety (especially in Hollywood) can be a battle, it is attainable, and Heaton's story can definitely serve as an inspiration to those who are struggling with alcoholism. It's just another reason to love the veteran star and, hopefully, viewers will see her on the small screen again soon following the end of Carol’s Second Act.
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