Patricia Heaton reveals moment that led to sobriety: 'I was mortified'

Patricia Heaton has revealed the moment that led her to go sober, explaining it left her "mortified".

The Everybody Loves Raymond alum's daily wine habit turned into problematic drinking during a period of her life when her usual routine had been disrupted.

"My children had left home and I wasn't working. The things that had always anchored me - my family and my work - were gone," Patricia, 68, told Woman's World magazine. "I started thinking, 'What am I supposed to do today?'"

The actress, whose sitcom credits also include The Middle, recalled how her drinking habits slowly escalated.

"A glass of wine while cooking became wine with dinner, wine while cleaning up and wine while watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!," she explained. "One night I realised I had almost finished an entire bottle by myself."

At that point, Patricia said, she knew something had shifted in her attitude to drinking, and she turned to religion in hopes of finding an answer.

"I was thinking about alcohol differently," she said. "I said a prayer: 'God, I think you want me to stop drinking. I would be willing to stop, but you have to make it happen because I can't. I'm willing, but I'm unable.'"

One day later, Patricia said, she felt her prayer had been answered after her children noticed she was slurring her words.

"The next night I was with my sons and their friends, and I couldn't pronounce the word 'tradition.' I tried three times," Patricia recalled.

"My youngest son said, 'That's great, Mom. You can't even speak.' I was completely mortified," she admitted. "The next morning I said, 'Okay, God. Message received.' That was eight years ago."