Lucy Hale celebrating three years of sobriety!
of Pretty Little Liars The alum, 35, took to Instagram on Thursday, January 2, to celebrate her milestone. She shared a screenshot of a sobriety app telling her she’s been sober for three years — which equates to 1,097 days or 26,312 hours.
In a second photo, Hale photographed herself sitting on a brick wall overlooking a body of water with her back to the camera as she gazed into the distance.
“Damn it. 3 years ago today, I began my journey to remember who I am,” Hale wrote in her post. “Since then, I have experienced moments that can only be described as pure wonder and magic. I am deeply grateful every day—for the people who have been guiding lights, for a power greater than myself that loves me unconditionally, and for my own tenacity to never give up. To all of you who have supported my journey, I have felt your love and it means everything to me.”
The actress continued: “If you’re struggling or walking a similar path, keep going. Just keep going. You are not alone and the world needs you. ❤️”
Hale has been brave in detailing her alcohol addiction over the years. In September 2023, she described the moment she hit rock bottom and knew she had to quit drinking.
“I made the choice on the morning of January 2, 2022, that I was going to do everything I could to be sober,” she said. The people. “I knew if I continued down that path, I would have lost everything I cared about. It was the scariest choice of my life, but it has also been the best gift. When I made that change, everything else changed. My whole life has changed.”
Hale was 32 at the time and first started drinking at 18.
“From a very young age, I always felt alone and misunderstood,” she said. “So, as a teenager, I found alcohol – which of course shut my brain down. And it worked for me for a while, until it got really dark.”
According to the actress, she felt “powerless against this obsession” despite her readiness to stop drinking.
“I definitely had to go through my own process to get sober,” she told the paper. “It took many, many, many years, many relapses, many dark moments, many falling on my face literally and figuratively, to understand what was working in my life, to find out why I was drinking, due to alcohol withdrawal. it’s just part of it.”
Hale first opened up about her efforts to get sober in February 2023 after quietly celebrating a year of sobriety a month ago, explaining via Instagram, “While this journey has been largely private, I felt compelled tonight to ‘letting anyone who is struggling know that you are not alone and you are loved.’
Hale later said she was “a textbook binge drinker” as she reflected on her decision to stop drinking.
“I’ve been working to get sober since I was 20 years old. I am 33 years old. It takes time. It took time. It took patience with myself,” she said on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast in February 2023, admitting that she thought the “real Lucy” came out when she drank. “Guess what? The real Lucy came out, but it was that anger and pain that I had held for so long, but it also put my mind at ease. My brain just won’t turn off and it’s exhausting.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).