Answer Addiction

Tag: Wendy Williams sober

  • Wendy Williams Dissolves Recovery Foundation

    Wendy Williams Dissolves Recovery Foundation

    Despite shuttering her foundation, Williams says she “remains committed” to helping others.

    Wendy Williams has dissolved the foundation she founded to support young people struggling to overcome substance use disorder, she said on her talk show.

    She had founded The Hunter Foundation—to support education, prevention and rehabilitation programs for substance use disorder—in 2014 with her now-estranged husband Kevin Hunter. But amid a dramatic split from Hunter, Williams says she will instead work with “other foundations” and “remains committed to helping others in the struggles of life.”

    Wendy filed for divorce in April and removed Hunter—who was not only her long-time husband but her business partner—as executive producer of her popular talk show, The Wendy Williams Show.

    Wendy had just revealed in March that she had been residing in a sober living home.

    “For some time now, and even today and beyond, I have been living in a sober house,” she said on her talk show. “And you know, I’ve had a struggle with cocaine in my past and I never went to a place to get treatment. I don’t know how, except God was sitting on my shoulder and I just stopped.” 

    She shared with her audience her day-to-day routine living at the sober house. “Doors locked by 10pm. Lights out by 10pm. So I go to my room and I stare at the ceiling and I fall asleep to wake up and come back here to see you,” she said. “So that is my truth. I know, either you are calling me crazy or the bravest woman you know. I don’t care.”

    Soon after filing for divorce, however, Williams made another big move. “I’m moving out of the sober house in just a few days,” she said on April 15. “It’ll be Wendy on her own.”

    She added, “Addressing my sobriety, my addiction, head-on has really helped me sort out every single compartment of my life. I have a commitment to me and my son to come out of here better, stronger and faster than ever.”

    Despite her messy and public divorce, and transitioning out of sober living, Wendy seems to be taking it all in stride. She recently said that she is “working on my divorce pleasantly” and is apparently enjoying the single life.

    “I don’t have a boyfriend, but I must admit I am rediscovering my love of men,” she said. “I do date and I date pretty often.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Wendy Williams: I'm "Living Proof" That There's Hope For Those With Addiction

    Wendy Williams: I'm "Living Proof" That There's Hope For Those With Addiction

    Williams touched on her own recovery while promoting her new addiction recovery helpline. 

    Talk show host Wendy Williams, whose journey through relapse and recovery made headlines this month, has put out a public service announcement urging those who are in need of addiction treatment services to reach out for help.

    Williams launched the announcement in conjunction with a new helpline through The Hunter Foundation, an organization that she and her husband, Kevin Hunter, began in 2014 to provide recovery resources. The foundation launched the helpline on March 11 to help people connect with treatment. 

    “Hi, I’m Wendy Williams Hunter. My organization, The Hunter Foundation, recently launched a nationwide hotline to offer treatment resources for you if you are a drug addict or substance abuser,” Williams said, according to People.

    When people call into the line, at 1-888-5HUNTER, they are connected with recovery coaches who can help them find treatment resources. 

    Williams explained, “The calls are being answered by specially-trained, certified recovery coaches. They’re very smart. They conduct screenings to determine your needs. The substance abuse will be taken care of. We will provide you with referrals for long- or short-term treatment at facilities all around the world: detox, rehab, sober living and outpatient centers everywhere, nationwide.”

    Williams struggled with cocaine use in the past and was recently hospitalized for drinking. However, she said that her story shows there is hope for everyone battling substance use disorder. 

    “If you’re an addict or a substance abuser, don’t be ashamed—help is here for you or a family member or a loved one. Call. Don’t be ashamed, there is hope. I’m living proof.”

    Since the hotline launched, it has received more than 10,000 calls and connected more than 400 people with treatment services, according to Today. 

    “10,000 calls in three weeks is remarkable! We’re doing our part by getting the word out,” Williams said. “All it takes is one call to get on the right path. We’re here to help.”

    Williams announced in March that she was living in a sober house and working with a sobriety coach. Her relapse reportedly had to do with her husband’s extramarital affair, although neither Williams nor Hunter has publicly commented on the matter. Hunter said last week that the couple is focusing on their relationship and Williams’ recovery, while also continuing to help others through their foundation. 

    “Wendy and the family are doing fine. We are focused on her health and sobriety, and that is it,” he said. “We are turning the tables on this thing called addiction and turning Wendy’s bout into a positive.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Lena Dunham Praises "Sober Queens"

    Lena Dunham Praises "Sober Queens"

    Dunham has been sober since May 2018.

    Actress Lena Dunham, who has been sober since May 2018, went on Twitter to acknowledge the celebrities who had recently opened up about their sobriety. 

    “First Lala Kent and now Wendy Williams—so proud of all these strong sober queens,” Dunham wrote on Twitter. “It’s a bumpy path for us all, but admitting you need help is the beginning of true freedom. Sometimes it’s stronger to be weak for a moment.”

    Last week, talk show host Williams announced that she is living in a sober home. 

    “For some time now, and even today and beyond, I have been living in a sober house,” she said on The Wendy Williams Show. “And you know, I’ve had a struggle with cocaine in my past and I never went to a place to get the treatment. I don’t know how, except God was sitting on my shoulder and I just stopped.”

    Also this month, reality television star Lala Kent of Vanderpump Rules publicly said that she was in a 12-step program for alcoholism. She had previously mentioned that she was getting sober, but didn’t talk about having a substance use disorder. 

    “Five months ago, I came to the realization that I am an alcoholic, and I am now a friend of Bill W., which you will never know how much this program means to me [and] has given me new life,” Kent wrote on Instagram. 

    Dunham, writer and director of the HBO series Girls, is familiar with the struggles of early sobriety. She spoke on Dax Shepard’s podcast Armchair Expert in November about how she has been adjusting to life without anxiety meds. Initially, she said, the medications made her feel “like the person I was supposed to be.” 

    “I was having crazy anxiety and having to show up for things that I didn’t feel equipped to show up for. But I know I need to do it, and when I take a Klonopin, I can do it,” she said. 

    However, over time, she realized that her drug use was becoming problematic. 

    “It stopped being, ‘I take one when I fly,’ and it started being like, ‘I take one when I’m awake,’” she said at the time. “It stopped feeling like I had panic attacks and it started feeling like I was a living panic attack. During that time I was taking Klonopin, it wasn’t making it better but I just thought, ‘If I don’t take this, how much worse will it get?’”

    At the time, she said her brain was still adjusting to its new normal. 

    “I still feel like my brain is recalibrating itself to experience anxiety,” she said. “I just feel, literally, on my knees grateful every day.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com