Bella Hadid Stopped Drinking After Experiencing “Pain And Stress”

From Adele to Chrissy Teigen, many sober celebrities have opened up about their decision to stop drinking alcohol over the last several years — and now, one more familiar figure is joining the fold. As she revealed during a January interview with InStyle, Bella Hadid “mostly” quit drinking in mid-2021, after realizing that she’d preemptively “cancel nights out” where she knew “wouldn’t be able to control [herself].” The model also referenced the emotional aftermath that can follow an evening of drinking.

“I don’t feel the need because I know how it will affect me at 3 in the morning when I wake up with horrible anxiety thinking about that one thing I said five years ago when I graduated high school,” Hadid told the magazine of her decision to cut back on alcohol. “There’s just this never-ending effect of ... pain and stress over those few drinks that didn’t really do much.”

Hadid acknowledged that she had done her “fair share of drinking” in the past — which was part of her concern. While working with Kin Euphorics — a nonalcoholic beverage company she co-founded — she had the opportunity to get brain scans, and what her doctor (a Kin medical adviser) showed her left an impression. In fact, it made it “a lot harder to pick up the glass,” she told InStyle.

Hadid’s sobriety journey has included swapping alcohol for Kin Euphorics’ Lightwave, a beverage described by the brand as a medley of “sparkling notes of lavender-vanilla, smoked sea salts, and passionflower [with] mind-calming ingredients.” As co-founder and CEO Jen Batchelor told Bustle last year, Kin is all about helping shoppers feel “very proud to be making this decision” to explore sobriety, as opposed to being a “war against alcohol.”

For the model, spreading the word about mental health has become important. On Nov. 9, Hadid showed fans what it looks like when she struggles by posting several selfies from difficult days on Instagram. She had been inspired by Willow Smith’s comments about feeling insecure, lost, and anxious.

“It made me feel a little less alone and that’s why I’d like to post this,” Hadid wrote in her caption. Expanding on her own experiences and lessons, she added in part, “Self help and mental illness/chemical imbalance is not linear and it is almost like a flowing rollercoaster of obstacles… it has its ups and downs , and side to sides. But I want you to know, there is always light at the end of the tunnel , and the rollercoaster always comes to a complete stop at some point.”

If you or someone you know is seeking help for mental health concerns, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website, or call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). For confidential treatment referrals, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website, or call the National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). In an emergency, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or call 911.

If you or someone you know is seeking help for substance use, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).