I was a recovery coach at Tempest when Chrissy Teigen originally shared on social media that she had quit drinking after reading Holly Whitaker’s book “Quit Like a Woman.” I remember the moment clearly because our membership numbers jumped dramatically. We called it the “Chrissy Teigen Effect.” Her openness didn’t just make sobriety more visible. It made it feel possible. Real. Desirable, even.
So when I listened to Chrissy’s recent conversation with Holly on her podcast “Self-Conscious,” I felt something crack open again. This time it wasn’t excitement or validation. It was compassion.
In the episode, Chrissy shares that she has started drinking again. She names it plainly. No dramatics. No spin. No performance. Just the hard truth of navigating alcohol in a world that still rewards and reveres it. She doesn’t have it all figured out, and she’s willing to say so. That kind of honesty is rare, and it is deeply, deeply human.
She talks about early sobriety as energizing and beautiful, a time when her body and spirit came back to life. She remembers what it felt like to rack up sober days, to feel momentum and clarity, and to finally begin trusting herself again. And then she describes the questions that crept in: Could I be a person who drinks sometimes? Could it be different now? Could I enjoy a glass of wine without it unraveling?
Her words echo a place so many of us know. That place where alcohol no longer fits, but we’re still holding onto it anyway. Where the voice of longing wrestles with the voice of logic. Where shame tightens like a vise and tells us we’ve failed.
I wanted to reach through my headphones and give her a hug. Not out of pity, but out of recognition. I know this place. I have lived here. And I wanted her to know this part counts too.
When Chrissy spoke about feeling like she let people down, it pierced something in me. The ache in her voice was real. It made me wonder what we owe each other, if anything, when it comes to our sobriety. The truth is, we don’t owe anyone our stories. But when we choose to share them, as Chrissy has, it can make people feel less alone. And that matters.
Holly honored that in the episode. She commended Chrissy for her bravery and generosity, for the way her story helped others begin their own. And she’s right. It did. It still does.
Recovery is not one-size-fits-all. It’s not a straight line or a trophy to be won. It’s a living process. A constantly evolving relationship with ourselves and the world around us. Sustainable recovery means getting into the nitty-gritty. It means looking at the root of shame, asking where the old stories came from, and daring to imagine new ones.
At Tempest, one of my brilliant colleagues created a recovery model that I still carry with me. It named the stages as Ether, Inkling, Awareness, Awakening, Reckoning and Outpouring. The model wasn’t linear and didn’t demand arrival. It simply named the way healing often unfolds in waves. I thought of it often while listening to Chrissy’s story. Right now, she sounds like she’s somewhere between Awakening and Reckoning. Maybe with a little Inkling in her pocket, too. And the truth is, all of it belongs. None of it disqualifies her.
I don’t even like the word “relapse.” It flattens a very human experience into a binary choice. What I see in Chrissy’s story is a new chapter, not a failure. It’s a moment of clarity, of reassessment. It’s data. It’s real life. And it has the power to inform the next right decision.
Chrissy, if you ever read this, thank you. Thank you for being honest in public. Thank you for saying the things so many people are afraid to say. Thank you for showing that recovery isn’t about perfection. It’s about paying attention. And you are doing that beautifully.
To everyone else who listens to her podcast and maybe sees themselves in her story, this is your reminder: You don’t have to have it all figured out. You only have to stay curious. Recovery is not a rigid set of rules. It’s a relationship. One that gets deeper, softer, and more spacious the longer we stay in conversation with it.
So let’s stay in the conversation. Together.
Self-Conscious with Chrissy Teigen – Audible via YouTube
Self-Conscious with Chrissy Teigen – Apple podcasts
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