Harry Hamlin recently celebrated one year of sobriety and reflected on the various times he’s stopped using alcohol over the years.
“Today’s one year,” the actor, 73, said during the Friday, August 15, episode of his “Let’s Not Talk About the Husband” podcast with wife Lisa Rinna. “It wasn’t that big of a deal, but I decided to not use alcohol again.”
The topic came up when Rinna, 62, started ribbing her husband about frequently wearing the same pair of pants. Hamlin explained that he’s “lost a considerable amount of weight” lately because of intermittent fasting and sobriety, and his favorite pants are one of the only pairs he has that fit him well.
“It was not difficult for me at all,” he added of giving up alcohol. “I’m very happy [not drinking]. I was always tempted to have a glass of wine in the evening, have some liquor to go to sleep.”
Hamlin went on to note that he’s stopped drinking “many times” over the years, including once for four years in the 2010s when he and Rinna were being sued by their landlords. At that point, he initially gave up alcohol on his own but later joined Alcoholics Anonymous for additional support.
“Everybody should do the program,” he added. “One of the greatest gifts that I ever got was doing that for that four-year period.”
The Mad Men alum explained that he was still taking Ambien during that four-year period, which he believes contributed to his issues.
“For me, Ambien is like a deadly drug,” he said, explaining that he went on to attend 90 AA meetings in 90 days. “It’s a whole new world when you don’t use anything to numb yourself out.”
Hamlin noted that his two brothers were alcoholics and both died from complications related to smoking and drinking, so he likes to stay on top of his own alcohol usage.
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“It is what it is. It’s not that big a deal in my life, by the way,” he said. “For a lot of people, stopping drinking is a huge deal. For me, it’s something I’m happy about doing.”
According to Rinna, Hamlin wasn’t drinking when they met. The duo tied the knot in 1997 and went on to welcome daughters Delilah Belle, 27, and Amelia Gray, 24. (Hamlin also shares son Dimitri, 45, with ex Ursula Andress.)
Hamlin, meanwhile, noted that he’s also given up alcohol while doing theater. He’s appeared on Broadway several times throughout his career, most recently in 2007 when he played Billy Flynn in Chicago.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
