In a new interview, the 38-year-old 'The Real Housewives of New York City' star claims that when she was 18, her parents sent her to live in a therapeutic community run by nuns, a decision that she used to despise.
- Apr 6, 2022
AceShowbiz - Leah McSweeney got real about her struggle with drugs and alcohol addiction. "The Real Housewives of New York City" star shared in a new interview that she "could have died" had her parents not kicked her out of their Connecticut home when she was 18.
Speaking with Page Six, the 38-year-old reality TV star claimed that her parents sent her to live in a therapeutic community run by nuns after she finished her third rehab stint for drugs and alcohol. Leah said that while she "held [that] against them for years and years," she finally understood that it was the best decision her parents made for her.
"When I finally got sober in 2009 and was in a 12-Step program and did all that work, I realized how if they hadn't done that, I could have died," Leah admitted. "I wouldn't have the life that I have now, so I'm so grateful for that."
Leah further detailed how she got into drugs and alcohol in her new book "Chaos Theory". She revealed that after getting expelled from her all-girls Catholic school in eighth grade, the family packed up and moved to the suburb. It didn't take long for her to begin heavily drinking and "doing any drug anyone would give me" after moving.
She recalled doing crystal meth for the first time when she was only 14, noting that the drug made her feel like a "goddamn superwoman." Not stopping there, she also had multi-day benders while experimenting with drugs such as acid, speed, Vicodin, cocaine and Special K. She spent years couch-surfing and even had a brief stay at a halfway house.
Leah finally became sober after having a death premonition in 2009. That, however, didn't last long as she started drinking again a few months before season 12 of "RHONY". "I was like, 'Wow, that was actually kind of crazy,' " Leah said in the interview. "I didn't drink for 10 years, then decide to start drinking again, which was obviously shocking to my family and my friends, and then end up on a TV show during this time."
"And I'm trying to hide the fact that it's such a big deal and trying to be like, this is normal, but it's like not normal," she added. "Anyone that's sober knows to not drink for 10 years - it's huge. It's a big deal."
Now that she's completely sober, the Happy Place founder shared that she felt lucky. "I do joke around and say, I'm glad that the year I did drink, I was drinking with 'The Housewives of New York', because they're fun and crazy," she concluded.
