I’m not much of a drinker – and it seems that a few celebrities are following suit, or are celebrating many years of teetotaling. For instance, take Anne Hathaway. The actress, known for her brilliant work, is five years sober. She recently shared more about her decision and what the journey has looked like for her.
Anne Hathaway: My Journey Being Five Years Sober
According to The New York Times podcast The Interview, Anne Hathaway delved more into her decision to go sober and what that has looked like for her. She expressed,
“I don’t normally talk about it, but I am over five years sober. That feels like a milestone to me. 40 feels like a gift.”
Speaking on The Ellen Degeneres Show in 2019, Hathaway revealed that she had decided to no longer drink alcohol,
“I’m gonna stop drinking while my son’s living in my house. I don’t totally love the way I [drink]. And he’s getting to an age where he really does need me all the time in the mornings,”
Correspondingly, she added that the final deciding factor was when she was dropping her son off at school: “I was hungover, and that was enough for me. I didn’t love that one.”
Alcohol is like an allergy
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Hathaway later expressed that she viewed her relationship with alcohol as like having an allergy. As an illustration, if you don’t drink, you don’t have a ‘reaction’ and your day is better off.
“If you’re allergic to something or have an anaphylactic reaction to something, you don’t argue with it. So I stopped arguing with it,” she says. She added that her experience with quitting alcohol makes everything better.
“For me, it was wallowing fuel. And I don’t like to wallow…I make a lot of my lifestyle choices in service of supporting mental health. I stopped participating in things that I know to be draining or can cause spirals.”
The decision to quit alcohol had an enormous positive impact on her life. Evidently, this shows through her authenticity and how she thrives inside and out.
How sobriety can impact your longevity
Anne Hathaway isn’t the only celebrity walking the path of sobriety. Others, such as Blake Lively, Bradley Cooper, and Zac Efron, have given up alcohol. In return, they enjoy an improved mental state, more energy, and an improved way of living and well-being. Correspondingly, the decision to go sober may also impact your longevity.
Alcohol can harm your physical health and lead to a handful of other issues. Moreover, according to BetterHelp, choosing sobriety can lead to wiser decisions about your health. Consequently, you may find that you make better eating decisions, making it easier to nourish your body. Additionally, you may also begin to sleep better and gain the willpower to begin exercising. Also, while all these things can help you become healthier, they may also play a role in your mental health.
How bad is alcohol abuse?
At the present time, over 20,000 people die from alcohol-related cancers each year in the United States.
Per The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive alcohol use can lead to:
-
High blood pressure.
-
Heart disease.
-
Liver disease.
-
Stroke.
-
Alcohol use disorder—this affects both physical and mental health.
-
Digestive problems
-
Cancers
-
Weaker immune system—increasing your chances of getting sick.
The bottom line
All in all, you may have a complex relationship with alcohol or are sober curious. If so, giving it up may be a good idea. Especially if you want your longevity to benefit. Certainly, if Anne Hathaway is doing it, it can’t be so bad.
My references
Bagnardi V, Rota M, Botteri E, et al. Alcohol consumption and site-specific cancer risk: a comprehensive dose-response meta-analysis. Br J Cancer. 2015;112(3):580-593. doi:10.1038/bjc.2014.579. https://www.nature.com/articles/bjc2014579
Esser MB, Sherk A, Liu Y, Henley SJ, Naimi TS. Reducing alcohol use to prevent cancer deaths: estimated effects among U.S. adults. Am J Prev Med. 2024;66(4):725–729. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2023.12.003
CDC (2024). Alcohol and Cancer. [online] Cancer. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/risk-factors/alcohol.html [Accessed 21 May 2024].
CDC (2024). Alcohol Use and Your Health. [online] Alcohol Use. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/about-alcohol-use/index.html.
Harper’s BAZAAR. (2021). 55 Celebrities Who Don’t Drink Alcohol. [online] Available at: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/g11644970/celebrities-who-dont-drink-alcohol/?slide=7 [Accessed 21 May 2024].
Marchese, D. (2024). Anne Hathaway Is Done Trying to Please. The New York Times. [online] 27 Apr. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/27/magazine/anne-hathaway-interview.html [Accessed 21 May 2024].
NewBeauty. (2024). Anne Hathaway Reveals She’s 5 Years Sober. [online] Available at: https://www.newbeauty.com/anne-hathaway-five-years-sober/ [Accessed 21 May 2024].
TheEllenShow (2019). Why Anne Hathaway Gave Up Drinking. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji12D_aObGw [Accessed 3 Dec. 2020].
Vanity Fair. (2024). Anne Hathaway on Tuning Out the Haters and Embracing Her True Self. [online] Vanity Fair. Available at: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/anne-hathaway-cover-story.
https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/abuse/define-sobriety-how-it-impacts-your-life/
The Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab. (n.d.). The Top Seven Ways Getting Sober Will Change Your Life (In A Good Way). [online] Available at: https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/recovery/sober-living/top-ways-sobriety-changes-life/.
