Jessica Simpson's Husband Helped Her Get Sober: ‘I’ll Do It With You, Babe'

The pop icon and fashion designer, Jessica Simpson, recently released her memoir, Open Book, which is a candid, tell-all piece that delves into some of the most personal moments of her life from her rocky divorce with ex-husband, Nick Lachey, to the alcohol and substance abuse problems that almost killed her. Specifically, in the autobiographical book, Simpson details her fight to get sober and quit drinking, something that her new husband, Eric Johnson, helped her with. She details his support throughout the piece.

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Simpson Got Drunk In The Morning, Couldn't Take Care of Children, Hits Rock Bottom

In one of the chapters titled 'Public Affair', Simpson chronicles one morning on Halloween 2017 where she began drinking in the morning and was soon close to blackout. The problem was her two children, Maxwell and Ace needed caring for at only the ages of seven and six, respectively. As she was too drunk to offer any help to her husband, Eric Johnson, she felt ashamed and embarrassed. "I was terrified of letting them see me in that shape,” Simpson wrote. “I am ashamed to say that I don’t know who got them into their costumes that night."

Her Substance and Alcohol Abuse Stemmed From Childhood Sexual Abuse

Simpson's problem was ever more present, though. She had been suffering from addiction to pills and alcohol-related to her childhood trauma were she was sexually assaulted, repeatedly by a friend's parent when she would stay over for the night. The problem naturally progressed over the years, culminating in a series of events that truly showcased how bad it had gotten.

Eventually, though, enough was enough and Simpson put effort into quitting drinking, altogether. "I was killing myself with all the drinking and pills," she wrote, adding that she finally got sober in November 2017. "Giving up the alcohol was easy. I was mad at that bottle. At how it allowed me to stay complacent and numb."

Eric Johnson Volunteers to Quits Drinking to Help Simpson Get Sober

Getting sober was made easier through the support of her husband who volunteered to stop drinking, as well. They decided that they would do it together, something that would greatly assist her with overcoming the addiction. "Eric gave up drinking the second I did,” she wrote in the book. “He said, ‘I’ll do it with you, babe.’ It was like no biggie and he hasn’t gone back or looked back."

Simpson says that his unselfishness and compassion to help her get over the substance abuse is simply a mark of who he is as a husband and father. "It’s just the way he is,” she said. “He’s a very selfless and loving person who is the most incredible father on the planet."

Simpson Also Chronicles Rocky Divorce with Ex-Husband Nick Lachey

Simpson also candidly spoke about the divorce process between her now ex-husband, Nick Lachey, and herself, describing it as emotionally and financially exhausting. Simpson writes that she came up to Lachey and told him that she wanted a divorce after a marriage that was wrecked by both of their own anxieties associated with each of their careers.

"We had been together almost seven years when I told Nick, ‘I think I want a divorce,'” she revealed. “I later heard that he told the press he was blindsided. I don’t know how. At that point we were not even speaking to each other. Maybe he was just shocked that I stood up for myself. I don’t think he ever thought I would take the leap."