NBCUniversal Maddi Reese
Maddi Reese has often opened up about her sobriety on “Southern Hospitality,” which recently had its season 2 premiere. Reese, who is a VIP manager at Republic, the nightclub featured on the Bravo show, has been sober since April 2014, when she was 16 years old.
“It saved me,” Reese told People about her sobriety. “I look back at my life then and yeah, I don’t know where I would be had I not gotten sober. I’ve learned so much about myself and I’m super proud of the person I am today because of it.”
During the first season of “Southern Hospitality,” she told audiences that she had started drinking at the age of 12. She said that after her parents bought her a breathalyzer, she switched to drugs instead. After four stints in treatment, she became sober. “I definitely have had my ups and downs with my sobriety, but right now I’m in a really, really, really strong place,” she told the publication.
“I’m going on 10 years, which is so scary and crazy to me in a way because it went by so fast,” she added. “But I can only hope the next 10 will be as seamless.” Being on TV allowed viewers to see her story, she said, and many reached out to her to open up about their stories and to say they were inspired by hers. “It really means the world to me, because my story is very unique, but it just shows me how much addiction affects everyone,” she said. “We all have different stories, but the disease is what ties us together.”
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Maddi Reese Spoke About Working at a Nightclub While Maintaining Her Sobriety
Reese also opened up about working at a nightclub and staying sober, but she said she wasn’t worried about being in that environment. “Believe me, on a nightly basis at work, I’m much more worried about trying to navigate my anxiety than I am my sobriety,” she told the publication. “It’s a lot of pressure, you know what I’m saying? And I’m always trying to figure out who I can trust, how to deal with the drama, stuff like that. That’s the real stress!”
As for her decision to open up about being sober at “Southern Hospitality,” she said she wanted to be transparent because of the “accountability.” She explained, “I don’t want to be drinking, I don’t want to be using — I know where that road leads me. So talking about it keeps me on that path.”
Maddi Reese Has Faced Relationship Issues So Far in This Season of ‘Southern Hospitality’
Reese has had a lot to deal with so far in season 2 of “Southern Hospitality.” The season 2 premiere saw a rumor begin circulating about her boyfriend Trevor Stokes, and his alleged infidelity on a night out.
Reese confronted Stokes, with whom she was living at that time, and demanded to see his text messages with the other woman. She accused him of not being upfront with her about the whole situation and decided to take some time to herself to figure out what to do. However, as she explained in another episode, Charleston is a small town and she said it was really hard to avoid Stokes.
Reese has also struggled on occasion as a manager at Republic, with the fourth episode ending with some of her colleagues, especially Emmy Sharrett, questioning her leadership style. Reese told Sharrett the wrong color of dress to wear for that evening’s shift and when confronted about the mistake by Leva Bonaparte, did not appear to take responsibility for the mixup.
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