NEWSAmanda Knox Reveals Health Concerns Drove Her to Give Up Alcohol and Caffeine: 'I Should Have Realized I Had a Problem'
Amanda Knox opened up on her decision to take control of her health back after developing a risky relationship with coffee and alcohol.
In an essay published on Tuesday, January 2, the mom-of-two confessed she realized she had an issue with caffeine when she went to a doctor because she was suffering from "debilitating abdominal pains."
Amanda Knox wrote an essay detailing her unhealthy former relationship with caffeine.
"The doctor had me drink some radioactive fluid, then X-rayed my stomach. 'How many shots of espresso are you drinking a day?' he asked. 'I don’t know,' I said. 'Eight. Maybe 10?'"
"The doctor’s eyes went as wide as mine apparently had been for the past few months. Needless to say, I had to cut back, but by then I was hooked, not just on coffee culture but on caffeine, which kept me alert and on time," she continued. "It felt like a good friend, albeit one who would get vindictive if I didn’t hold up my end of our daily ritual."
Knox cut out alcohol and limited herself to one cup of coffee per day after her miscarriage.
Although Knox was forced to eventually quit drinking "cold turkey" when she was wrongfully convicted of murdering her roommate, Meredith Kercher, in 2009. However, when she was acquitted of the crime several years later, she admitted she picked the habit back up — particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
"On a typical day, I’d have four cups of coffee before noon — coffee and I had stayed tight all along — and two or three glasses of chardonnay at the end of the workday," she wrote. "I had one friend slapping me awake each morning, and another working out the knots each night."
Knox quit coffee and alcohol throughout 2023.
- Amy Robach 'Thought She Was Going to Die' When She Was Diagnosed With Breast Cancer
- Amanda Knox Cheekily Calls Traveling Aboard 'Awesome' After Controversial Trial, Leaves Social Media Divided
- Amanda Knox Reacts To Johnny Depp's Victory Over Amber Heard After Claiming She Wouldn't Reveal Her Opinion On The Trial
"I decided to cut back to two cups of coffee a day and one glass of wine a week. Then I had a miscarriage. I was devastated," she shared. "Four months later, when I found myself pregnant again, I wasn’t taking any chances. I decided to cut my caffeine intake back to a single cup of coffee in the morning and forgo alcohol entirely for the duration of the pregnancy. My husband [Christopher Robinson] even joined me in solidarity."
She noted she'd been "sleeping better at night" and had "plenty of energy" since cutting back on the popular drinks and eventually decided to quit them both entirely throughout 2023.
However, after welcoming her son, Echo, into the world — having abstained from alcohol and caffeine for an entire year — she said she'd been considering having the occasional cup of coffee or glass of wine in the future.
Knox plans to be more mindful of how she consumes coffee and wine in the future.
"As much as I’m drawn to staying dry and decaffeinated indefinitely, total abstinence also, strangely, feels as if I’m allowing the substance to maintain power over me — as if I don’t have the guts to show the door to that friend who won’t take the hint and leave at the end of the party," she explained. "What I’m considering now is treating both caffeine and alcohol as mindful substances, to be approached with the same care as psychedelics."
Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!
Powered by RedCircle
Knox said she planned to be more mindful of how she consumed caffeine and alcohol in the future, but also why she was indulging in them.
"I’m going to enjoy a glass of wine or a cappuccino, I’m going to do so with intent," she penned. "I’ll savor the taste, and the mental shift, but also the decision itself, the act of choosing. Freedom, too, has a flavor, and a mental buzz. That’s something I never want to quit."
Slate published Knox's essay.
