Jane Lynch on her relapse into alcohol addiction: ‘I went back into denial’

Jane Lynch has reflected on her struggles with alcoholism, saying that when she filmed The Good Fight she “couldn’t wait to be done and go have a drink by myself”.

The Glee and Marvelous Mrs Maisel star started drinking as a teenager and drank nearly every day into her thirties. After going to Alcoholics Anonymous, she stopped for many years, until she relapsed five years ago.

In a new interview inThe Guardian, Lynch said she started drinking again because she thought she had done enough therapy over the years and would be able to safely have a glass of wine with dinner without slipping back into addiction.

“And I loved it,” she said. “I became a connoisseur of wine in a way that only an alcoholic can. I went back into denial, after all those years of sobriety and self-knowledge.

“I fooled myself – I woke up one day and went: ‘I’m back.’ It took about three years. I’m telling people I’m drinking one glass of wine a night, and I’m drinking five.”

She said she wouldn’t allow herself to drink until 5.00pm each day. “The rest of the day didn’t matter,” she said. “The only part of the day that really mattered was five o’clock.”

Lynch attributed her relapse to “boredom”, adding: “I think I got to a point where nothing was doing it for me anymore.”

Lynch said that while she was filming CBS legal drama The Good Fight, she “couldn’t wait to be done and go have a drink by myself”. It took Lynch six months to stop, and she is now sober again.

The actor can next be seen as comedian Sophie Lennon in season four ofThe Marvelous Mrs Maisel, which begins on Amazon Prime Video on 18 February.

If you have been affected by this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: actiononaddiction.org.uk, mind.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk.

If you or someone you know is suffering from alcohol addiction, you can confidentially call the national alcohol helpline Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 or visit the NHS website here for information about the programmes available to you.