{"id":47187,"date":"2026-08-15T19:19:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T14:19:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=47187"},"modified":"2026-08-15T19:19:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T14:19:40","slug":"everybody-loves-raymonds-patricia-heaton-says-she-stopped-drinking-after-feeling-completely-mortified-over-incident-at-family-gathering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=47187","title":{"rendered":"\u201cEverybody Loves Raymond\u201d\u2019s Patricia Heaton Says She Stopped Drinking After Feeling \u2018Completely Mortified\u2019 Over Incident at Family Gathering"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-article-body=\"true\" data-body-type=\"bodyblocks\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 safari:ml-6 list-disc\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Patricia Heaton says she turned to alcohol while struggling with an empty nest and career uncertainty before the pandemic<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 safari:ml-6 list-disc\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A family night where she struggled to speak clearly made her realize she needed to stop drinking<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 safari:ml-6 list-disc\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Heaton quit drinking eight years ago after praying for help and has remained sober since<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Patricia Heaton;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/patricia-heaton\/\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Patricia Heaton<\/a> says a night with her children where her behavior left her &#8220;mortified&#8221; was a sign from God to stop drinking.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The <a data-ylk=\"slk:Everybody Loves Raymond;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/how-did-everybody-loves-raymond-end-11851960\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Everybody Loves Raymond<\/em><\/a> star, 68, told <a data-ylk=\"slk:Women's World;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.womansworld.com\/entertainment\/celebrities\/patricia-heaton-at-68-faith-family-and-sobriety-journey\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Women&#8217;s World<\/em><\/a> that while struggling with an empty nest and no job right before the pandemic, she felt rudderless. &#8220;The things that had always anchored me \u2014 my family and my work \u2014 were gone. I started thinking, &#8216;What am I supposed to do today?&#8217; &#8221; said Heaton, who shares <a data-ylk=\"slk:four sons;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/all-about-patricia-heaton-children-8721910\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">four sons<\/a> \u2014 Samuel, John, Joseph and Daniel \u2014 with husband <a data-ylk=\"slk:David Hunt.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/all-about-everybody-loves-raymond-cast-relationships-11957027\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">David Hunt.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;A glass of wine while cooking became wine with dinner, wine while cleaning up and wine while watching <em>Wheel of Fortune<\/em> and <em>Jeopardy!<\/em>,&#8221; <a data-ylk=\"slk:The Middle;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tv\/patricia-heaton-middle-final-season\/\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Middle<\/em><\/a> alum explained. &#8220;One night I realized I had almost finished an entire bottle by myself.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Ray Romano and Patricia Heaton on 'Everybody Loves Raymond' in 2005Credit: Bob Riha, Jr.\/Getty\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/0dba91bb7363084e97c6e012696b168e1b055cc0e94d5c11348bcbd96fb647a2\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_webp\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fpeople_218%2F11bee48ae2914003c62ac4ad4333ca3c.jpg\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><default:path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/default:svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\"><span class=\"[&amp;_p]:inline\"><\/p>\n<p><em>Ray Romano and Patricia Heaton on &#8216;Everybody Loves Raymond&#8217; in 2005<\/em><br \/><em>Credit: Bob Riha, Jr.\/Getty<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She shared that &#8220;as an actor, you study behavior. I noticed my own behavior changing. I was thinking about alcohol differently. I said a prayer: &#8216;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&#8217;t. I&#8217;m willing, but I&#8217;m unable.&#8217; &#8220;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The very next day, she said that her prayers were answered during a family night with her sons and their friends. &#8220;I couldn&#8217;t pronounce the word &#8216;tradition.&#8217; I tried three times. My youngest son said, &#8216;That&#8217;s great, Mom. You can&#8217;t even speak.&#8217; I was completely mortified,&#8221; the actress recalled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;The next morning I said, &#8216;Okay, God. Message received,&#8217; &#8221; Heaton said, sharing that is when she decided to quit drinking. &#8220;That was eight years ago.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Take PEOPLE with you! <a data-ylk=\"slk:Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.magazines.com\/people-magazine.html?utm_source=people.com&amp;utm_medium=owned&amp;utm_campaign=editorialarticlemention\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine<\/a> to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happened true crime stories and more \u2014 right to your mailbox.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/patricia-heaton-shares-the-moment-she-knew-she-had-to-stop-drinking-12058274\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW Patricia Heaton says she turned to alcohol while struggling with an empty nest and career uncertainty before the pandemic A family night where she struggled to speak clearly made her realize she needed to stop drinking Heaton quit drinking eight years ago after praying for help and has remained sober since Patricia&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/00fc0cfcc85c57b97e47bcc16488cbb4acdf7ac2633e35923fcc2c96277b7a48\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w1200%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_jpg\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fpeople_218%2F155249d7d51ec82c7ab74c87b5e8d638.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}