The iconic TV mom shares that she asked God for sign to quit alcohol, and the next day after an encounter with her sons, she said, “Message received”

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Patricia Heaton says a night with her children where her behavior left her “mortified” was a sign from God to stop drinking.

The Everybody Loves Raymond star, 68, told Women’s World that while struggling with an empty nest and no job right before the pandemic, she felt rudderless. “The things that had always anchored me — my family and my work — were gone. I started thinking, ‘What am I supposed to do today?’ “ said Heaton, who shares four sons — Samuel, John, Joseph and Daniel — with husband David Hunt.

“A glass of wine while cooking became wine with dinner, wine while cleaning up and wine while watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!,” The Middle alum explained. “One night I realized I had almost finished an entire bottle by myself.”She shared that “as an actor, you study behavior. I noticed my own behavior changing. I was thinking about alcohol differently. I said a prayer: ‘God, I think You want me to stop drinking. I would be willing to stop, but You have to make it happen because I can’t. I’m willing, but I’m unable.’ ”

The very next day, she said that her prayers were answered during a family night with her sons and their friends. “I couldn’t pronounce the word ‘tradition.’ I tried three times. My youngest son said, ‘That’s great, Mom. You can’t even speak.’ I was completely mortified,” the actress recalled.

“The next morning I said, ‘Okay, God. Message received,’ ” Heaton said, sharing that is when she decided to quit drinking. “That was eight years ago.”