'Flipping Out' Star Jeff Lewis Confesses He's Been A 'Functioning Alcoholic' For 2 Years
Nov. 27 2019, Updated 4:33 p.m. ET
Jeff Lewis is admitting he's been a "functioning alcoholic" for the past two years in order to help him cope with the "pain" and "stress" amid his ongoing custody battle.
The Flipping Out star dropped the bombshell confession on his Sirius XM radio show Jeff Lewis Live.
“I feel like over the last two years, I have been leaning on alcohol,” Lewis, 49, revealed. “Last night, I made a commitment to myself that I was gonna go one night without having a drink, and I didn’t do that. And now today I’m beating myself up with guilt.”
He later added, “I just admitted I was a functioning alcoholic. This is a big show for me.”
The reason for his drinking, Lewis says, is to help calm himself down after a stressful past couple years. “I feel like especially with everything that’s happened over the past 24 months, I am leaning a little bit on alcohol, because it numbs the pain, it helps me with my stress, it helps me relax, and it’s become a routine frankly. I was thinking to myself last night — because I’m mad at myself . . . that I didn’t keep my commitment to myself— I’m thinking maybe I just need to remove all of the alcohol in my house. I think that would literally probably cut out alcohol consumption by 60 percent, because I drink home alone.”
He quipped: “I become nicer when I drink. I’m so happy. I should drink during the day.” Before adding, “Oh, right that’s not the direction we’re going.”
As RadarOnline.com readers know, Lewis Jeff Lewis has been in an ongoing battle with boyfriend Gage Edward over the custody of their daughter Monroe.
Lewis and Edward never officially tied the knot, but were together for 10 years and welcomed Monroe, now 2 /12, via surrogate in October 2016. The star announced in January that he and business manager Edward had broken up.
As RadarOnline.com reported in August, the two finally reached a temporary custody agreement.
Since then, Lewis and Edward, 35, have been co-parenting Monroe.
But it’s been difficult and isn’t really working, as Lewis alleged on his radio show.
“For her best interest, I have been fighting for the majority of the custody because I’m very realistic about how much time we can both spend with her,” the real estate expert said on his radio show last month.
Lewis also mentioned on his show last month the custody situation with Edward is a nightmare.
“There is nothing in place. All we have is a temporary legal custody schedule,” he’s complained.
Also, the fight is taking a huge financial toll on both men, Lewis contended.
“We are in this combined at $80,000. We have nothing in place, nothing. We don’t have financial settlement, we have nothing. And we’re already at $80,000.