Lynda Carter health: Wonder Woman star ‘begged God’ for help with decades-long condition

Lynda Carter's – Wonder Woman Spin Transformation

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Carter has been frank about the toll the failure of her first marriage had on her. The Wonder Woman star described her first marriage with talent manager Ron Samuels as an “unfortunate chapter”. She met Samuels in 1977 but divorced in 1982, which she says sparked decades of alcoholism.

whom she met in 1977 but divorced in 1982,

She told the Daily Mail last year: “I’ve been in recovery for 23 years.

“And I didn’t even start drinking till I was in my mid-20s.”

Her addiction, which has fluctuated over the years, saw her enter rehabilitation during her marriage with the late Robert Altman.

She added: “I would stop drinking for two or three years, then start again and it just felt terrible. That was a long time ago and now I’m very happy.”

Talking to The Insider about her move towards recovery, she said: “My husband asked me … ‘Can’t you just stop this for the children and for me?’

“I needed help – I begged God in heaven to help me figure this out.”

The publication reported that her husband’s plea encouraged Carter to seek out help at a rehabilitation centre near Washington D.C.

She told the Oprah Winfrey Network back in 2013: “I think I drank because there was unhappiness in my first marriage and I would have a drink for the same reason anybody else would.

“And as I looked back I seemed to be more inebriated than other people. You think you’re keeping it from everyone but the people that are around you, they know.”

The causes of addiction

There are many possible underlying causes, ranging from genetic factors, which may make someone more susceptible to addiction, and social factors.

In his book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, the famous psychologist Dr Gabor Mate says: “It is impossible to understand addiction without asking what relief the addict finds, or hopes to find, in the drug or the addictive behaviour.”

The mental health treatment provider The Priory Group, suggests that “stressful life events”, such as bereavement and losing a job are linked to alcohol addiction.

It explains: “In a similar way to untreated mental health conditions, the stress and trauma that surround these types of events may lead individuals to self-medicate with alcohol, which can lead to the development of a harmful addiction.”

In the UK, treatment is available through the NHS to help tackle the underlying causes of addiction and help to stop the habit in its tracks.

As well as offering “brief intervention” sessions to help reduce consumption immediately, the health organisation also can refer people with addiction to talk therapy.

During cognitive behavioural therapy and additional counselling sessions, people will understand the beliefs and thoughts that underpin their addiction.

Those with addiction may also choose to participate in self-help groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, get additional counselling or cognitive behavioural (talk therapy).

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