Gisele Bündchen Reveals What Happened When She Quit Drinking

Back in 1994, a 14-year-old girl in Brazil went into a shopping mall. The rest, as they say, is (fashion) history. That girl was none other than Gisele Bündchen — Brazilian fashion model who was discovered by an Elite Model Management scout while at the mall. She has since become a household name and is one of the highest-paid models of all time.

Discovery remained a running theme throughout the supermodel’s life. And it’s not always been about fashion. Her latest discovery? A life without drinking. Ready to dig into the details and maybe get inspired to do the same? Let’s dive in!

Meet Gisele: Before the Breakup With Booze

If you were around in the ‘90s, chances are you remember Gisele as one of the legendary Victoria’s Secret “angels” sporting luxurious white wings. But there’s a lot more to Gisele! Here’s a brief tour of her life path that eventually led to her ditching alcohol:

• Being tall wasn’t always easy. We know kids can be cruel — and they certainly were to Gisele. She was “a foot taller” than the rest of her middle school classmates, who took to calling her “Olly” (a reference to the lanky Olive Oyl, girlfriend of “Popeye the Sailor”). And while as adults we sometimes use alcohol to cover up emotional wounds, she would eventually discover that leaning into this vulnerability is better than numbing it with alcohol.
• Gisele has had her share of vulnerable moments. It might look like the fashion world is all glitz and glamor — and Gisele looks like she owns it as she struts down the catwalk. Still, the supermodel didn’t always feel secure about her appearance. As she shares in her memoir Lessons: My Path To A Meaningful Life, the revealing outfit she had to wear for the 1998 Alexander McQueen “Untitled” collection left her in tears before her entrance:
  
  “I was a good girl. I was a tomboy. I was someone whose big breasts had embarrassed her since she’d hit puberty. I was a girl gripped by the fear that my family would feel so embarrassed they would never speak to me again. I was terrified.” 

As we can see, even supermodels are not free from anxiety! It’s something that many of us struggle with. According to the Mental Health Foundation, over a third of us tend to feel anxious or depressed about our bodies. Unfortunately, many turn to alcohol as a way to numb these feelings.

• She struggled with anxiety throughout her youth and used alcohol to cope. In her memoir, she opens up about the “hamster wheel” life she led in her 20s: working 350 days per year with coffee and cigarettes to stay awake and a nightly wine habit to wind down, she knew the pattern was unsustainable. 
• On top of all that, Gisele started having debilitating panic attacks that left her feeling breathless and trapped: “Everything had become a cage, and I was the animal trapped inside, panting for air … I couldn’t see a way out, and I couldn’t stand another day of feeling this way.”
• The modeling world took a toll as she got older. While modeling has now taken more of a back seat in her life, those early years are making themselves known. Gisele writes: 
  
  ‍“I’ll bet every model out there has some kind of back problem … Aside from my chronically dislocated shoulder, I have scoliosis and major issues with my knees that became worse after spending hours not only walking back and forth trying my best to balance in impossibly high heels but also contorting my body during endless photo shoots, barely breathing while holding one unnatural position after the next and trying to look at ease.” 

And if back problems are common in the modeling world, substance use is sometimes part of the fallout. One study found that 35% of fashion models who were surveyed reported drinking on a regular basis, compared to 12% of the controls.

• Gisele focused on helping others overcome insecurities. She started a skincare line to help teens boost their self esteem. As she told Vogue in 2010, her struggles with teenage acne made her feel everyone was “looking at her pimples.” Having discovered a simple cure — mud — she “wanted to teach girls to love themselves and take care of their bodies” by creating a cream that does the job.
• Her 2019 “Mother Earth” Halloween costume is a fitting metaphor for her values. Who says you have to bare your midriff for Halloween just because you used to be a lingerie model? In 2019, Gisele stepped out in a far-from-form-fitting “Mother Earth” costume to go trick-or-treating with her kids. In fact, her love of nature goes much deeper, and she even writes in her memoir that she considers nature to be her “real church” 

Drawn more and more to the healing power of nature and away from artificial “fixes” to life’s problems, Gisele has continued to revamp her life over the past few years. One of the main changes she made? In 2022, the supermodel said goodbye to alcohol for good.

Gisele: “What Happened When I Quit Drinking”

Although Gisele was no stranger to boozy galas and backstage drinks, tuning in to her body made her hear the message loud and clear: alcohol was taking more than it was giving. For more info, check out “10 Benefits of an Alcohol-Free Lifestyle.” For now, let’s take a closer look at how her life changed as a result of kicking booze (in Jimmy Choo stilettos!). 

1. “I’m Sleeping Much Better”

While many of us fall into the pattern of reaching for a glass of cabernet as a nightcap, alcohol actually sabotages our sleep. While booze does, indeed, send us off into dreamland (sometimes right on our friend’s living room couch), the sleep we end up getting isn’t restorative: more often than not, we’re in for a rocky ride and a rude awakening.

For one thing, alcohol throws a wrench in our natural sleep cycle, robbing us of the most restorative REM stage. Moreover, in an effort to counterbalance alcohol’s depressant effects, our brain releases excitatory chemicals that make the second half of the night restless and fragmented.

And we certainly don’t end up looking like a supermodel when we wake up: instead we feel groggy, dehydrated, and unrefreshed, even if we spent more hours than usual under the covers (or on top of them, thanks to alcohol-related night sweats).

Quality sleep, in turn, is key to keeping this vehicle running through nightly tune-ups. Gisele experienced this transformation firsthand. As she told Elle, 

“When I’m not drinking, I’m sleeping much better. You have to be loving to yourself. You ask a lot of your body, you’ve got to do a reset. You have got to take care of this only vehicle you got, right?”

And that was just the beginning! Leaving alcohol behind comes with many additional perks.

2. “I’m Very Sharp and Very Present”

Ever tried to calculate a tip while tipsy or help the kids with math homework while nursing a hangover? Alcohol doesn’t just sabotage our nights — our daytime brainpower takes a hit too. As a depressant, booze slows down activity in the prefrontal cortex — the higher-order thinking part of the brain. It also tampers with the hippocampus — the brain’s memory center. The result? We wake up the next day having no idea who got married and who didn’t on that Love Is Blind finale we watched. Worse still, we might be missing entire chunks of the night altogether.

And it doesn’t end there. Science shows that the dehydration, inflammation, and sleep disruption caused by alcohol can lead to brain fog — a fuzzy fatigue that makes it difficult to think clearly, solve problems, and follow conversations. 

Gisele is no stranger to alcohol-induced brain fog. Now, she revels in the clarity and sharpness that a booze-free life has brought. As she told People, “I became more clear … I felt a bit more foggy before. Now I'm very sharp and very present and I notice things that I didn't notice before.”

These cognitive improvements, in turn, are within reach for all of us. When we leave alcohol behind, our brain has a chance to recover — and if our kids need help with their math homework, our odds of solving those equations become far more likely.

3. “A Better Mom … A Better Friend”

While we might think that a round of cocktails makes us more social or a glass of pinot is the key to relaxing at night, these “benefits” are largely an illusion. The “sociable” feeling is really disinhibition that’s far more likely to lead to embarrassing phone calls, hasty comments, and next-day regrets. And while “mommy wine culture” might have us believe that “Mama needs her wine,” science shows that ditching the drink bodes better for our parenting skills — and Gisele is living proof of that.

In a Vanity Fair interview, Gisele explained that quitting drinking improved her relationships across the board: 

“When you feel good, you’re a better mom, you’re a better friend, you’re calmer, you’re more patient, you’re more loving, you’re more grounded. So you can’t feel guilty about prioritizing yourself. Because that’s loving you and loving the people you love the most, which are going to be impacted by how well you are. Because if you’re sick, everyone hurts.”

Want to learn more about alcohol’s effects on our mood and mental health? Check out “Understanding How Alcohol Affects Mood Stability” and “The Positive Impacts of Sobriety on Mental Health: Reduced Anxiety, Depression, and Improved Emotional Well-Being.”

How Did Gisele Quit Drinking?

Now, the million-dollar question: how did she do it? The truth is, Gisele had a bit of a leg up when it came to quitting drinking (and not just because she’s taller than most). She’d been developing several key habits that made saying goodbye to alcohol the natural next step in her journey to better health. The great news? These are habits we can all start building today!

1. Building Self-Care Habits

Over the last 10 years or so, Gisele has made self-care a priority. Here’s how she describes it: 

“Sometimes, we can get so disconnected from our bodies because we are running away from ourselves, so we just keep adding more things for us to do … Give me anything to eat, give me anything to drink. You’re just in this mode. I feel like whenever you can bring yourself back into feeling your body and just being present, it’s great.”

Coming “back to her body” was a gradual process. Gisele started incorporating herbal supplements, tweaking her diet, and dipping her toes into meditation and breath work (more on that later!).

The result, she says, was nothing short of miraculous:

“My life changed completely. It was like a rebirth … It was a process though. We’re habitual beings. We want to do the same things because it just feels comfortable. So I had to replace all those habits that were killing me for habits that were giving me a new life. Instead of waking up with two cigarettes and a mocha frappuccino with whipped cream, I would wake up and go for a jog and come back and do an hour of breath work and yoga. Everything changed.”

One running theme here is building awareness of our body, mind, and external environment. It’s all about mindfulness — the ability to observe the world inside and outside of ourselves without judgment to see where changes might serve us well. This mindful awareness, in turn, is the first step to leaving alcohol behind: by helping us see that booze is taking more from us without following through on the empty promises, it helps us set the foundation for change.

Tip: Start building awareness of your daily habits and keep a journal to track your findings. Track your alcohol intake, as well as your stress levels, mood, and any other patterns that show up. Remember — this isn’t about judgment! We’re just gathering information to see where changes might make our lives easier and more joyful. Check out “Practical Tips for Incorporating Mindful Living Practices to Support Sobriety” for inspiration! Also take a look at the benefits of habit stacking.

2. The Magic of Meditation

Gisele has been a daily meditator for decades, starting in her twenties. These days she’s still going strong — the supermodel has even helped start a meditation program in her children’s school.

Meditation has also helped Gisele through some tough times. Here’s what she told People:

“It's like taking a step back and observing it like a movie, the situation happening … And even though you feel the emotions, you're not attached to them. It's not attaching to the emotions, it's observing them. And when you observe them, you can take this little step of separation. It can allow you to take a breath and come in from a place where it's not reactive, but it's more proactive. You're like, okay, let me assess.”

And when it comes to leaving alcohol behind, meditation is as close to a superpower as we can get. It’s all about getting out of “default mode network” where rumination rules and habitual, self-referential thinking thrives. Meditation is also a science-backed way to boost neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to rewire itself — which is key to changing our behavioral patterns around alcohol and our relationship with it. (Check out “How Can Meditation Help Me Overcome Alcohol Misuse?” to learn more.)

Tip: Get a meditation practice going. Whichever method you choose — whether it’s traditional sitting meditation, sound healing, visualization, or walking meditation — commit to doing it for at least 10 minutes every day, then gradually increase the time.

3. Healing Through Movement

It’ll come as no surprise that Gisele is no stranger to exercise. She kicks off every day with a 5 a.m. workout following her meditation routine. And it’s not just to keep her modelesque proportions. With her “body is a temple” mantra, Gisele’s daily workout is all about celebrating strength and vitality that comes with taking care of herself. As she says in another People interview:

“I’m just so grateful I have this body, I truly am. Now I’ve learned — because I wasn’t so good in my 20s or my teens — I realized my body is my temple and I really want to enjoy it. So for me, moving my body is huge.”

Even being pregnant didn’t stop her! As Gisele told Vogue in 2010,

“I did kung fu up until two weeks before Benjamin was born, and yoga three days a week. I think a lot of people get pregnant and decide they can turn into garbage disposals. I was mindful about what I ate, and I gained only 30 pounds.”

And while everyone’s body is different (both during pregnancy and at other stages of life), it’s good to keep up a healthy level of activity.

Regular exercise is also a game changer in the alcohol journey. Science shows that exercise helps us coast through cravings while boosting physical resilience, lowering stress, and increasing endorphin levels.

Tip: Incorporate movement into your day. If a long workout feels overwhelming, break it up into 10-minute chunks throughout the day. Do something that feels fun — whether it’s running, dancing to ABBA in the living room, or throwing some double jabs to a YouTube kickboxing video, anything that gets you moving and breaking a sweat “counts.” 

4. The Power of Nutrition

And let’s not forget nutrition! What we fuel our body with matters, and Gisele knows firsthand what a difference our diet makes when it comes to our well-being. A loyal fan of the Food Fix by physician Mark Hyman, Gisele has helped spread the word about the power of nutrition:

“Food Fix shines a light on what is happening with our food system while sharing ways for readers to make a real change … Dr. Hyman’s book inspires us to set out on a path to improve our personal health and, at the same time, the health of our planet.”

Hyman’s famous “Pegan Diet” blends features of Paleo and vegan lifestyles and is guided by the principle that what’s “good for the environment will also be good for you.” Some highlights? Eating mostly whole plants, incorporating nuts and seeds, steering clear of pesticides, hormones, and various additives, and going for “regeneratively raised animal products whenever possible.” 

Given that alcohol throws a wrench in the way our body absorbs nutrients, disrupts the gut microbiota, and interferes with metabolism, a healthy diet is key for a successful alcohol journey. The right foods can make all the difference!

Tip: Make some small changes in your diet by adding colorful fruits and veggies to replenish vitamin and mineral stores. When it comes to your meals, go for whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats (salmon and avocados are great sources)!

5. Force of Nature

Gisele frequently shares her love of nature with her social media followers: 

“Mother Nature is our greatest teacher … She shows us that everything is interconnected and interdependent. Her power comes from her diversity and it depends on it for its survival.”

To boost her health even more while tapping into the healing powers of nature, Gisele opts for natural remedies over pharmaceuticals whenever possible. Here are some of her specialties:

• She loves using natural oils and swishes coconut oil in her mouth first thing in the morning (known as “oil pulling”).
• She swears by the healing power of lemons, putting a lemon half face up next to her pillow when she’s sick.
• If her kids have a fever, she puts onion slices around the room — or even in their pajamas! It might be a bit smelly, but it does the trick.
• Peppermint oil is her go-to therapy for headaches. (And peppermint may also help reduce alcohol cravings!)

What do these natural remedies have to do with the alcohol journey? Plenty. For one thing, certain herbal supplements — such as milk thistle or apple cider vinegar — have been shown to reduce cravings and help our body heal from alcohol misuse. (Check out “Natural Herbs and Foods to Cleanse Your System from Alcohol” to learn more.)

Even more importantly, leaning into natural cures helps us shift into a healthier mindset that steers us away from dependence on substances such as alcohol. It’s a hands-on mindfulness practice that lets us connect with the power of the natural world by getting “back to basics” and feeling the freedom that self-reliance brings.

Tip: Experiment with aromatherapy to see how essential oils can give your alcohol journey an extra boost. For example, lavender or chamomile have been shown to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress, making them a great alternative to that glass of cabernet at night. 

6. A Reframed Mindset 

And speaking of changing mindsets, shifting the way we see alcohol is ultimately the most important piece of the puzzle when it comes to leaving it behind. Gisele was able to look at her drinking patterns objectively, coming to the conclusion that it simply wasn’t conducive to becoming the best version of herself. As she told People,

“It's socially accepted to have a glass of wine. And people even say, ‘Oh, it's healthy for you.’ Well, it is not healthy for me. If you want to ask of your body what I ask of my body, which is a lot, I can't be having all these things (alcohol, caffeine) because they add up.”

Instead, she continues to rely on the healthy coping strategies and tools she’s gathered over the years, effectively replacing the dependence on booze with a better obsession — health. As she explains, “I get to have all these incredible tools that I can use to support me feeling like my best self. And that’s how I see it … You get addicted to it, in a good way.”

Tip: Challenge any cognitive distortions you might hold about booze (for example, thinking that you need alcohol to socialize) and replace them with views that are more in line with your goals. At the same time, continue adding meaningful activities to your booze-free life. Check out “Alternatives To Drinking Alcohol: Exploring Life Beyond Booze” for inspiration!

Tips To Quit Drinking in Style

Feeling inspired by Gisele? Here are some tips on how to start drinking less — or quit altogether!

Track your patterns. First, take stock of the situation: how much are you drinking? Do you ever end up drinking more than you planned? This isn’t about judgment — we’re just getting the lay of the land. 

Set your goals. Decide how much you want to reduce your drinking (or if you want to quit altogether). Write down your goals somewhere visible and tell an accountability buddy to make the commitment stick. You can also try out SMART goals for a more structured approach!

Find your people. With the sober curious movement in full swing, there are plenty of potential supports out there. Find friends and family members who have ditched booze themselves and are in support of your choices. And don’t forget the digital world! These days it’s easier than ever to connect with others who are living a similar lifestyle and have been where you are. Check out the Reframe Forum today!

Need more motivation? Check out “Alcohol-Free Living: 8 Tips To Help You Stay Sober.” And remember, Reframe is here to help you every step of the way!

Takeaways From the Runway

As we’ve learned from Gisele, it’s never too late to ditch booze and develop healthier coping mechanisms. The trick is to start small, and before we know it, we’re living a happier, healthier lifestyle!