Patricia Heaton has revealed she got sober after she was called out by her son over her drinking – a moment she believes was a ‘message’ from God.
Heaton, 68, abstained from alcohol eight years ago and has embraced the sober lifestyle ever since, launching a line of non-alcoholic wines with her husband earlier this year.
Yet there was once a time when Heaton was growing increasingly uncomfortable with her alcohol intake and turned to her faith for guidance.
In a new interview with Women’s World, Heaton revealed her prayers were answered in the form of an embarrassing condemnation from her son.
Eight years ago, Heaton had more time on her hand and noticed she had started increasing her alcohol intake as a result.
‘Right before the pandemic, my children had left home and I wasn’t working,’ she said.
Patricia Heaton, pictured 2006 with a beverage in a martini glass, is revealing the moment that made her quit drinking
‘The things that had always anchored me — my family and my work — were gone. I started thinking, “What am I supposed to do today?”
‘A glass of wine while cooking became wine with dinner, wine while cleaning up and wine while watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!’
Heaton realized she had nearly finished an entire bottle of wine by herself. ‘One night I realized I had almost finished an entire bottle by myself.’
‘As an actor, you study behavior. I noticed my own behavior changing. I was thinking about alcohol differently.
‘I said a prayer: ‘God, I think You want me to stop drinking. I would be willing to stop, but You have to make it happen because I can’t. I’m willing, but I’m unable.’
The next day she received that message in mortifying fashion.
While out with her family, her youngest son called her out over her drinking – a moment she believes was the answer to her prayers.
‘The next night I was with my sons and their friends, and I couldn’t pronounce the word ‘tradition.’ I tried three times. My youngest son said, ‘That’s great, Mom. You can’t even speak.’ I was completely mortified.
Heaton and her husband Dave Hunt now run a line of non-alcoholic wines, Solubrae (pictured promoting the beverage)
Heaton rose to fame on Everybody Loves Raymond opposite Ray Romano; pictured 2003
‘The next morning I said, ‘Okay, God. Message received,’ she said. ‘That was eight years ago.’
Heaton has now turned her sober lifestyle into a business with the help of her husband, Dave Hunt.
Together, the couple operate Solubrae, a line of non-alcoholic wines made with California grapes.
‘Patricia Heaton spent seven years not drinking,’ the Solubrae website describes. ‘She had more energy, slept better, felt sharper. What she missed was the ritual: a real glass of wine at dinner, something worth raising at a celebration.
‘She looked at what was available in the alcohol-removed category and found it lacking. So she and her husband David Hunt, the producer behind FourBoys Entertainment, built Solubrae instead.’
Everybody Loves Raymond aired for nine seasons on CBS, from September 1996 until May 2005
An accomplished actress, Heaton is perhaps best known for her role playing Debra Barone in the comedy series Everybody Loves Raymond, a role which garnered her two Emmy Awards.
Everybody Loves Raymond aired for nine seasons on CBS, from September 1996 until May 2005.
Everybody Loves Raymond followed successful sports writer Ray (played by comedian Ray Romano) and wife Debra as they tried to cope with living across the street from his domineering mother Marie Barone (Doris Roberts), gruff father Frank (Peter Boyle), and jealous brother Robert (Brad Garrett).
Ray and Debra also had three children on the series – daughter Ally (Madylin Sweeten), and twin boys (played by Madylin’s real-life younger brothers, Sawyer and Sullivan).
The cast of the show recently reunited to celebrate the sitcom’s 30th anniversary
Romano recently stated that there’s no plans to reboot the sitcom due to the deaths of beloved cast members Roberts, Boyle, and Sawyer.
‘We’re never going to do (a reboot) because we’re missing three cast members, three family members,’ Romano said on the reunion special.
‘We would never try to do the show without them,’ he added.
