In an excerpt from her upcoming memoir, Open Book, that was obtained by People, Jessica said that she realized things had to change on Halloween in 2017. At 7:30 that morning, Jessica said she and husband Eric Johnson were headed to a school assembly for their daughter, Maxwell, and she "already had a drink."
Later that day, Jessica said she "zoned out" while her hair and makeup team got her dressed as Willie Nelson for the holiday. Jessica said when Eric asked her if she wanted to help get their kids ready, she freaked out. "I was terrified of letting them see me in that shape," she wrote in the book. "I am ashamed to say that I dont know who got them into their costumes that night."
Jessica said she took an Ambien that night to help her sleep. The next morning, "I slept in, afraid to see them, afraid I had failed them. I hid until they left, then drank," she said. Jessica said several of her close friends came over, and she opened up about her struggle. "I need to stop. Somethings got to stop. And if its alcohol thats doing this and making things worse, then I quit," she remembered saying at the time.
Now, Jessica explained in her book, she goes to therapy twice a week and has a "team" of doctors to help her.
Shes been sober since 2017, and Jessica said its been a "gift" for her family, including Maxwell, her son Ace, and her baby, Birdie. "I had room for so many wonderful moments that I would have missed: sober for the first time ever in my studio and seeing Maxwell grab a guitar. Ace in pajamas he put on himself, proudly adding a sticker to his bedtime chart," she said. "Theres just no better gift. Theres no better gift I can give my kids , theres no better gift I can give my husband. More importantly, theres no better gift I can give myself."
