James Kennedy has no longer shied clear of discussing his successes — and his disasters — at the adventure to staying sober.
Bravo audience have been offered to Kennedy when he joined Vanderpump Regulations in 2015. After beginning out as a busser at Lisa Vanderpump’s eating place SUR, Kennedy briefly were given wrapped up in various drama on display.
Kennedy used to be ceaselessly at the outs together with his costars — from a tumultuous courting with Kristen Doute to his feud with Jax Taylor and questionable feedback about a large number of costars — and his courting with alcohol didn’t assist. After Vanderpump fired Kennedy a large number of occasions, he made an effort to deal with his substance abuse problems.
In July 2020, Kennedy introduced that he celebrated 365 days of sobriety. The pro DJ later admitted that he used to be “California sober” as a result of marijuana helped him to now not use alcohol.
“It helped me quit the alcohol for good, you know what I mean? I will quit weed also when the time comes,” he mentioned on Watch What Occurs Are living With Andy Cohen in October 2021. “I don’t feel like I should quit right now, you know? There’s no point.”
Kennedy added: “It doesn’t harm me. It doesn’t, like, affect my life in a negative way. So, why quit?”
After his high-profile break up from Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, Kennedy showed he began consuming once more, pronouncing on a February 2023 episode of Vanderpump Regulations, “I learned a lot from not drinking those two years.”
Kennedy regarded as chopping out alcohol after assembly now-girlfriend Best friend Lewber. Sooner than season 11 of Vanderpump Regulations began airing in January 2024, Lewber mentioned in an interview with Bravo that Kennedy “changed the most” over time.
“James, he’s in therapy, he’s sober, I’m really proud of him,” she gushed that very same month.
Stay studying to peer Kennedy’s candid quotes about sobriety:
Quitting Consuming
Kennedy solely informed Us Weekly in regards to the advantages of having sober, sharing in August 2019, “I am 10 weeks [sober] this Friday. It’s been really good. Everything’s beautiful. I’ve been focusing on my sobriety and it’s been going really well. … [My] music has been just so good lately. I haven’t been procrastinating on s—t.”
Creating a Trade
Throughout an look on WWHL in March 2020, Kennedy credited Alcoholics Nameless conferences for serving to him.
“Because of all the drinking I was doing and stuff, I was really hiding away from my true emotions and just blaming whatever I wanted to get out the easy way,” he defined. ”I’m going onto 9 months sober. I haven’t had a drink in just about 9 months, and I simply really feel utterly other.”
Kennedy persevered: “I’ve really taken hold of my life and try to change it for the better and change our relationship for the better. I know I should be doing this for me, but I’m also doing it for my relationship with Raquel.”
Celebrating a Milestone
“Hey everyone just wanted to let you all know I’ve made it to my one year sober today. Letting go of drinking was the best decision I ever made and I’m going strong. I don’t miss the booze …… I don’t miss the feeling …. I’m so grateful for everything now and life has become more beautiful in many ways,” Kennedy captioned an Instagram put up in July 2020. “Thank you to my rock @raquelleviss for getting me here I couldn’t of done this without you my love.♥️ and thank you all for the support this past year.”
Pleased with the Steps He Took
Forward of his two-year anniversary, Kennedy mirrored at the classes he realized whilst keeping up his sobriety.
“It’s gratitude. It’s the feeling of being so thankful for my sobriety. I wake up every day thanking God that I’ve got it,” he informed E! Information in Would possibly 2021. “My life has just gotten so much better from quitting drinking. I’m never hungover, I’m able to focus on my music so much more. My relationships and friendships are excelling. When I see these amazing things happening right before my eyes, why would I want to go back?”
Kennedy admitted he needed to care for a sense of “missing out,” including, “I got over that, in the first six months I was still struggling with the whole, ‘Well, everyone else is getting to go out and have fun but I don’t.’ When I got over that hump and I realized I’m actually able to have just as much fun, if not more, than everyone else drinking.”
He concluded: “It was like a lightbulb went off in my head and it’s just an amazing thing. Like I walk into a room now with people drinking everywhere and I’m just so f—king happy I don’t, you know? I’m just so thankful and I feel so good about it. I can still be the life of the party, I can still be my charismatic self and I still end up chatting even more than most people do to drink, they drink just to get more chatty. But I’ve never needed that and I never really realized that I didn’t need alcohol until I quit it. So being able to maintain the sobriety has thankfully been the easiest part of it.”
Making an attempt California Sobriety
In line with Kennedy, being “California sober” intended he nonetheless smoked marijuana day-to-day and used edibles
“It’s wild and it’s a blessing. I thank God every day for my sobriety, honestly,” he mentioned on WWHL in October 2021. “Cutting out alcohol was the best decision I’ve ever made, thanks to [Raquel]. … It’s just f—king amazing. I wake up every morning never hungover, just ready for life. And I know that sounds cliché, but it’s honestly so good.”
Reflecting on His Determination
In December 2021, Kennedy and Leviss introduced their break up after 5 years of relationship. Kennedy mentioned how his courting with Leviss influenced his lifestyles whilst filming the season 9 reunion, which aired one month later.
“This is not a product of me f–king up my life, Tom. This is a product of the truth. The second she said, ‘We are not soulmates.’ For me, that was a f–king enlightenment. I realized that we loved each other but we are not in love with each other anymore. She has made her decision. Her parents have always hated me. It has never been easy,” he informed Tom Sandoval. “Even becoming the man that quit drinking and changed his whole f–king lifestyle for this relationship [wasn’t enough]. It wasn’t enough. I still have these anger issues, and I am never doing this again.”
Strolling His Selection Again
“After two and a half years of not a single drop, I decided to drink again, have a couple drinks. After Raquel left, I thought I was getting married, I was engaged, do you know what I mean? After all I did to better myself, it still clearly wasn’t enough,” Kennedy right through the season 10 premiere of Vanderpump Regulations, which aired in January 2023. “And quite frankly, it was a new f–king year. It was 2022, you know, what am I doing? I’m f–king James Kennedy. Like, let me live.”
In a separate dialog with Leviss, Kennedy mentioned he were given sober on account of her, including, “If I am gonna quit again, it will be for me next time and not an ultimatum in a relationship.”