While many anticipated the premiere of the Real Housewives of Orange County, Braunwyn Windham-Burke may have been a little more nervous than her co-stars, as she revealed intimate details surrounding her battle with addiction.
Now, the reality star is opening up even further with Glamour magazine to discuss her journey toward sobriety, and how hard she's been working for her family.
A Real Housewife reveals battles with addiction
Braunwyn Windham-Burke is getting candid about her battle with addiction, as well as her current journey to recovery for the Real Housewives of Orange County's premiere episode this Wednesday.
Following the episode, Windham-Burke further opened up to Glamour magazine about her battle and shares how challenging it's been for her, despite being worth it.
"If you look at the footage of the premiere, you can see my hands shaking because I knew if I said, 'I'm an alcoholic,' I couldn't take it back," she told the publication.
Windham-Burke also shared that the idea of getting sober "scared" her, and she was worried who she would be without a drink.
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"I was scared I wouldn't be fun anymore," she said. "That my life was going to be boring. I really thought alcohol made life enjoyable, and that's sad."
"Nine months later, I realize that's not true," she said, revealing that she's having just as much fun now, if not more than when she was drinking.
"Honestly, I dance even more now because I can stay awake," she said. "I sometimes used to pass out at, like, 7 p.m. because I had been drinking all day. So yeah, I actually have way more fun now."
Windham-Burke also revealed that she's understood the difference between not drinking and being sober.
"I've never had a healthy relationship with alcohol, from the first sip I took at 14. When I drank, I drank until I blacked out or got sick," she said.
Braunwyn says she's learning how to be sober
With all that being said, Windham-Burke wants it to be clear that she never drank when she was pregnant with any of her seven children.
"I never drank when I was pregnant or nursing — and in many ways, I think that probably saved my life," she said. "I went to a meeting when I lived in Miami, but instead of sticking to a program, I just got pregnant. I have seven kids, so that's a huge chunk of my life that I was sober — or I should say, not drinking."
She also revealed that she's really focusing on the mental health aspect of addiction, and getting to the root of why she felt the need to turn to alcohol in the first place.
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"I'm taking the time to be still and think about why I drank so much," she admitted. "For me, it's insecurity, it's anxiety, it's that I'm uncomfortable in my skin. I'm working on understanding why I have those feelings and finding a healthy way to deal with them."
"I don't have all the answers, but I do feel that telling my story as honestly as possible is the right choice," she continued. "I love AA. I love that it is a safe, supportive environment where people can share how they feel without judgement."
While saying that appearing on a reality TV series has been challenging, it's all been worth it. Windham-Burke is returning this season of RHOC, which airs every Wednesday on Bravo!.
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