Vanderpump Rules Star James Kennedy Celebrates One Year of Sobriety: 'I'm So Grateful'

"Letting go of drinking was the best decision I ever made," James Kennedy said

Published on July 5, 2020 07:30 PM

James Kennedy is one year sober.

On Sunday, the Vanderpump Rules star, 28, celebrated one year of sobriety and commemorated the milestone with a heartfelt post on Instagram.

"Hey everyone just wanted to let you all know I’ve made it to my one year sober today! Letting go of drinking was the best decision I ever made and I’m going strong," he wrote. "I don’t miss the booze ...... I don't miss the feeling .... I'm so grateful for everything now and life has become more beautiful in many ways."

Kennedy then gave a shout-out to his girlfriend and costar Raquel Leviss for helping him through the process. "Thank you to my rock @raquelleviss for getting me here I couldn’t of [sic] done this without you my love.♥️ and thank you all for the support this past year," he lovingly wrote.

Leviss also shared a heartwarming post celebrating her boyfriend's achievement. "Today James is 1 year sober! Lots to celebrate but most important is the love you show me every single day @itsjameskennedy ❤️,"she captioned a selfie of the pair with masks on.

"I love you so so much ❤️," Kennedy replied to Leviss' post.

Several friends and fans shared words of support for Kennedy in the comments section of his post. Bachelorette alum Chris Randone wrote, "Congrats my man 🤙."

"Sooooo proud of you!!!!! ♥️♥️♥️," costar Scheana Shay added.

In March, Kennedy opened up about his sobriety while speaking with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

“I think because of all the drinking I was doing and stuff I was really hiding away from my true emotions and just blaming whatever I wanted to get out the easy way,” Kennedy said after watching a Vanderpump Rules clip of girlfriend Leviss, who said she felt “verbally abused” by Kennedy when he was drunk.

“I’m going on to nine months sober,” Kennedy told Cohen. “I haven’t had a drink in nearly nine months and I just feel completely different to what I was watching here. I have gone to AA meetings and stuff since then.”

Kennedy also said since he’s stopped drinking, he feels more in control of his life. “And you know, I’ve really taken hold of my life and trying to change it for the better and change our relationship for the better,” he shared. “I know that I should be doing this for me, but I’m also doing it for my relationship with Raquel.”