Susannah Constantine recalls ‘humiliating’ moment that forced her to admit she was an alcoholic

Susannah Constantine recalls the “humiliating” experience that forced her to seek help from her family regarding her alcohol use.

During a performance on Thursday Lorraine, the 60-year-old fashion guru shared that she hit rock bottom when she blacked out and got herself wet during a family vacation in 2013.

She drank a bottle and a half of wine every night and admitted alcohol had “control” over her, while trying to hide her drinking from husband Sten Bertelsen and their children Cece, 18, Esme, 21, and Joe, 23.

She explained: ‘Anyone who suffers from alcoholism will identify with this, it had grown so much that I had no control over alcohol, it had control over me.’

She recalled the moment she decided to seek help and continued: ‘We were in Cornwall and I didn’t drink much more than anyone else, but I think if you drink consistently and daily, your body becomes like a saturated sponge and it doesn’t cost much to tip you over the edge.

“So I blacked out, I fell, I broke two transverse spines in my back and I got myself wet, and you can’t get more humiliating than that. And my children witnessed that and my husband and brother-in-law took me to bed.’

Heartbreaking: The 60-year-old fashion guru hit rock bottom when she blacked out during a family vacation in 2013 and got herself wet (pictured in October of that year)

She continued: “I don’t know how I had the courage, but the next day I got everyone around the table and I said, ‘Look, I need help. I lied to you, I keep saying I don’t drink, I drink much more than you know and I must do something about it.”

‘And then I asked them all, ‘How do you feel about this?’ And they all told me and I knew that was the point where I had to stop and regain my family’s trust for lying.”

Susannah previously admitted she found her attempts to hide her alcoholism’all-consuming and exhausting.’

Candid: The TV host, whose mother was also an alcoholic, first revealed she has a drinking problem in 2020, sharing how she’s been recovering for seven years

The TV host, whose mother was also an alcoholic, first revealed that she has a drinking problem in 2020 and shared how she has been recovering for seven years.

Writing for The Daily Mail, she confessed: “Every now and then my guard slipped and couldn’t be hidden. Much to my shame, I will never forget the time my husband had to take me home from a friend’s 40th birthday because I could barely stand.

“After years of waking up in shame and guilt and asking God for the four horsemen to take me away and not bring me back, I knew it was time. Drinking wasn’t fun anymore. I wasn’t fun anymore. I was no longer in control, it controlled me.’

She added: “When I first attended an AA meeting, I was relieved to realize that other people had the same stories and feelings; I wasn’t alone.

“I’d say the same to anyone coming to terms with similar issues right now: you’re not alone. It’s no exaggeration to say AA saved my life.’

She shared how her alcohol use had affected her loved ones and continued: “It’s not up to me to tell my husband’s story, but suffice it to say I’m eternally grateful to him for understanding that my alcoholism was a struggle I had alone. had to carry.

“I can’t do justice to his strength, love and support here, but without it I might still be drinking today.

And while I don’t feel like I’ve discovered everything about my own alcoholism, I do feel like there’s a conclusion to my story.

“I realize that, on some level, I’m still dealing with the guilt and shame associated with it, and it’s a long way off, but I feel like I’m on the right track.

“I understand now that I’m not a bad person trying to get good, I’m a sick person trying to get better.”

If you have been affected by this article, please call the AA Helpline toll free on 0800 917 7650 to be put in touch with someone locally

Cheating: She tried to hide her drinking from husband Sten Bertelsen and their children Cece, 18, Esme, 21, and Joe, 23 (pictured in 2020)