T.J Holmes and Amy Robach reflect on being heavy drinkers throughout 2023 and getting sober in New Year 2024.
Holmes disclosed that, after the fallout from his affair with Amy Robach, he could easily down more than eighteen drinks in a single day.
After losing their respective positions at GMA3, the two acknowledged on Thursday's episode of their podcast, Amy & T.J. that they were "appalled" by how much they drank during 2023, which they referred to as their own "pandemic" of COVID-19.
“I didn’t have a job to go to and I was away from a lot of friends and family. We were laying low. So what did I do? I drank a lot,” Robach explained.
“A lot more than I ever have. I don’t think I have ever gone a full year where I drink every single day and that was 2023 for me.”
The 50-year-old former anchor said that she was "keeping a buzz going all day or keeping a heightened state of mind during an anxious year" rather than being "wasted" or "drunk" every day.
When Holmes, 46, said that he too "needs to reexamine [his] relationship with alcohol," the two disclosed the exact amount of alcohol they had been consuming prior to turning over a new leaf.
While Robach said she was consuming “over 30 drinks a week,” Holmes stated he could “easily go through 18 drinks” a day.
Robach noted that although Holmes' number looked a little excessive, the two 'big runners' enjoyed going on what they called 'runs to fun', which involved running several miles and “end at a bar.”
Holmes clarified, "Now we will run at 8 or 9 in the morning... and I come back and we have a beer," adding that because he "runs to fun," he is usually "two drinks in" by midday.
Unless they have errands to run, they usually have at least two additional drinks after lunch. Holmes said he could "easily have a drink in [his] hand from two in the afternoon until seven, eight, nine, or ten at night" after that period.
“So you do those numbers and that’s a drink an hour for another eight hours — or even less — but that is another eight hours of a drink in hand, plus the four I had during the day,” he continued.
The two were surprised to learn how much money they were spending each month on booze when they dug deeper into their drinking patterns.
Holmes disclosed that they had spent $2,869 on alcohol in December 2023 alone after adding up their bar receipts and the amount they had spent on the alcohol delivery service Drizly.
“This doesn’t include, however, the trips we made once in a while to a liquor store,” he added.
The pair explained to the audience that they wished to be open about their connection with alcohol in order to inspire others to follow suit.
Holmes has taken part in dry January in the past, but Robach disclosed that this is her first time performing the challenge. Without her boyfriend, she wouldn't have had the guts to do it.
“I don’t know that I would have felt comfortable or — honestly this may sound crazy — but I don’t know if I would have felt brave enough or courageous enough to say, ‘I am 100 percent going cold turkey this month,’ if you hadn’t said, ‘I’m doing it and we can do it together.'”