Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing.
A woman who is newly sober has shared how she used to hide her drinking habits in a new video online.
TikTok user Heather Richard, known on the social media platform as @thesoberglowwithheather, shares her past problems with alcoholism with her 35,000 followers.
She has recently hit over 160 days sober, though as she describes herself as ‘freshly sober’, the American content creator is honest and candid about her journey.
Heather posted a video in November last year that garnered over 1.3 million views, explaining how she would ‘make it look like I was drinking way less than I was so my husband wouldn’t know’.
In the five-minute viral clip, she revealed all of the hiding, sneaking around, and drinking she would do without her partner even knowing.
She would track if her husband had left work on Life360, and as he was still at work, Heather would drink two shots from a bottle of vodka (out of what looks like a double shot glass).
After ’20 minutes’ of watching TV or using her phone, she explained that she’d need ‘that dopamine hit again’, going back and sinking two more shots of vodka.
Aware that the bottle now looked half-drank, the social media creator said that she would top it up with water before hiding it in the back of the freezer.
Heather would then buy four small wine bottles, pour them all into the same large glass and drink them all together.
At this point, she would realise that her husband was five minutes away, and would have to clear up her mess, hiding the wine bottles at the bottom of the rubbish bag, then washing the shot glass and drinking glass.
As he gets home, she would then grab a load of dirty laundry so it looked like she was cleaning, before her husband grabbed a can of beer.
The creator would then say that she’d join him for a drink, and pour a lot from the bottle of vodka, as it was watered down, though with a mixer this time.
“Little does he know I’m already halfway to drunk,” she said.
“And this is very far from my first drink. I’m ashamed but that’s what I did.”
Speaking to People, Heather admitted that she was ‘hiding a huge part’ of herself.
“Addiction makes you a stranger in your own life – it twists you into someone you don’t recognise, and it hurts the people who care about you the most,” she admitted.
@thesoberglowwithheather Loving an addict. How did I make it look like I drank less so my husband didnt know. #sober #overcomingaddiction #sobercuriouslifestyle #wedorecoverwecanrecover #healingsober #wedorecoverwecanrecover #sobercuriousjourney #sobertiktok #soberlifestyle
Despite feeling ‘uncomfortable’ sharing a lot of these videos, she wanted to ‘be a voice’ for others in her situation, adding: “[I want to] let them know they’re not broken, they’re not alone, and there is hope.”
Describing some of the stories as her ‘darkest moments’, Heather said that the comments helped her realise that she was doing good by sharing her experiences.
Recalling what caused her to go sober, she said she remembers ‘sitting alone, drinking a bottle of vodka, and just feeling completely empty,’ which caused something to click.
Her husband is her biggest supporter throughout her journey, spreading the message that recovery is possible.
She concluded: “I want others to know that no matter how far gone you feel, there is always hope. Recovery is possible, and you are worth the fight.”
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
