Emmy-winning actress Patricia Heaton, 63, took to Instagram to celebrate three years of sobriety from alcohol.

On Sunday, the iconic actress posted a video in which she was candidly walking around a reservoir. She expressed that she had been sober for three years and that followers should reach out to her if they needed any encouragement or support. 

While the beloved mom from Everybody Loves Raymond was never an out-and-out alcoholic, she was an avid social drinker and looked forward to drinking cocktails nearly every night.

However, she quit drinking three years ago in a quest to get herself back into shape and improve her overall fitness going into her 60s. 

Heaton also stated that she would probably be 70 by the time she has grandchildren, so she wants to be healthy for them.

Reinvention and the Second Act

In July last year, Heaton released a self-help book entitled Your Second Act: Inspiring Stories of Reinvention. The book provides anecdotes and practical steps to help readers deal with moments of crisis in their life.

In the book, Heaton also reveals how she dealt with life in "an empty nest" after her youngest son Daniel, 22, moved out. 

Though initially, Heaton felt "lost at sea" and at times would find herself reaching for the bottle. She eventually mustered up the courage and positivity to view this situation as a new opportunity, even at her age.

This was a pivotal transition point in her life as it allowed her to reinvent herself and make space for her 'second act.'

She said, "There are these little funerals you have to have for certain dreams because that's how you make way for new things."

While Heaton had to give up spending time with her children, she was able to use this time to improve her relationship with her husband, diversify her career in entertainment, and improve her physical health.

The New and Improved Heaton

While the celebrated actress is already a Hollywood darling, she fears complacency and does not want her career to stagnate. In an interview with Parade, she said that reaching 60 has made her more self-aware. She no longer feels constrained by false expectations and is more selective with her commitments. 

Last year, she went on a keto diet and took up swimming to improve her physical health. She also revealed she started taking more time off to listen to sermons by Timothy Keller, who is a pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church. This practice has helped her stay "emotionally and spiritually stable."

Apart from this renewed focus on health, Heaton is also making massive efforts to propel her career further. She and her husband are working to develop a roster of movies they have been developing over the past ten years.

Heaton's husband, David Hunt, a Juilliard-trained actor and producer from the United Kingdom, will be directing while Heaton will work as the producer. 

Their previous collaboration, Carol's Second Act, was marred with controversy as two writers quit the show following allegations that of misconduct Hunt had touched them inappropriately.

While CBS ultimately canceled the show, Heaton will not fixate on this failure and will undoubtedly produce new and exciting projects in the near future.