Even after her relapse became known, Jenny Elvers (51) is once again open about her alcohol problem, which has already accompanied her in the past. After she was caught drunk by the police a few days ago, the actress is once again taking the step forward – both on her official Instagram account and in an interview with the “Bild” newspaper. This is by no means the first time that she has spoken out publicly and bluntly.
“I have been suffering from depression for over ten years, which is why I started drinking and drugging myself with alcohol,” explains Elvers about the latest episode in “Bild”. She is actually well adjusted to her medication, but there are always phases in which she is sad and realizes: “I have to be careful.”
On October 31, 2023, she was caught by the police in Brandenburg with a breath alcohol level of allegedly 1.7 per mille. As the investigative authorities confirmed to the newspaper, a report for drunk driving has already been filed. It goes on to say that Elvers had to hand over her car keys and driver’s license on site.
But why did Elvers reach for the bottle again now, despite so many years of abstinence? “In the days before October 31st, I wasn’t feeling well. I just cried and didn’t have the strength to get up,” the actress continues. She looked for an outlet, just the wrong one, and drank alcohol that one day. Combined with the medication, this was the worst thing she could have done.
Her son Paul (22) shouldn’t see her in this condition, so she wanted to drive from Hamburg to Berlin, where her doctor was: “I urgently needed help.” On the way, she realized that she couldn’t drive a car safely and so she left the motorway: “I wanted to sleep a little bit until I felt better.” But she parked in “a stupid place,” not a regular parking lot: “That’s why the police checked me. They wanted to know if everything was okay.”
Nevertheless, Elvers is already looking forward again; Elvers obviously doesn’t see any parallels to her earlier years: “There is no comparison today with my condition ten years ago.” She’s already feeling better again and it’s “that one day when I relapsed”: “The alcohol is out of my system, I’m completely sober again.” She is being treated: “The main reason why I drink is because of depression.” She is incredibly sorry, also because of her son. She is grateful that no one was hurt.
Elvers also spoke up on her Instagram account. “People make mistakes when they’re not feeling well – when depression hits with full force – not confiding in anyone, looking for your own outlet is so stupid and negligent,” she writes there in her latest story. She’s incredibly sorry: “I didn’t want to involve anyone, I didn’t want to hurt anyone. And I’ll fix it. Thanks for the help!”
Jenny Elvers has repeatedly spoken openly about her alcohol addiction. In a “Bunte” interview from 2019, she became clear and revealed that the alcohol almost killed her. Doctors told her at the time that if she continued drinking, she would be dead in a few weeks. At that time, the experts gave her two months. Since then, however, she has overcome her problem thanks to therapy. She now lives a healthy and active life without alcohol, does a lot of sport and feels good. Elvers also denied any relapses during this time.
However, the path away from alcohol was difficult. It took her some time to cope with her everyday life without the drug: “I had to completely reorient myself. Unfortunately, in our society, a nice evening is always associated with alcohol.”
Elvers also discussed her addiction in her book “Wackeljahre” from 2018. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, Elvers said that she had already been sober for six years at that point. In her book, she also explained that she was “terribly ashamed” of her addiction. At her peak, she felt like a “criminal” because she also obtained the alcohol secretly.
Among other things, she wrote in her work that she was a “trembling, vomiting, shaky wreck with a racing heart” at the time: “With stabbing pains and sweats, I crawled to the pain-relieving bottle. One more glass. Just this one.” She was a “characterless alcoholic” who was ruining herself and would soon die unless a miracle happened. On the outside, however, she maintained the facade of a devoted wife, mother and successful actress. “Inside, I was the secret drinker,” said Elvers.
After numerous rumors, Elvers’ alcohol problem became visible to everyone for the first time on September 17, 2012. During an appearance on the NDR talk show “DAS!” Elvers was obviously drunk, slurred unmistakably and seemed massively confused. Just a few days later she went into inpatient treatment. On February 4, 2013, she spoke publicly about her alcoholism for the first time in the RTL special program “Jenny Elvers – The Unvarnished Truth”.
The telephone counseling service offers help with depression on the free number: 0800/111 0 111.
