Mary Tyler Moore’s Secret Battle With Booze

Mary Tyler Moore was America's Sweetheart — while fighting a desperate war against alcoholism during decades as a sitcom star! "Nobody ever really knew that I drank too much at night," Mary confessed. "I would calculate how to do it, and I would gear the amount that I drank to how much somebody else was drinking. I made sure I never got to the point where I was really loose and sloppy of speech, unless they were, too!"

Mary Tyler Moore was America's Sweetheart — while fighting a desperate war against alcoholism during decades as a sitcom star! "Nobody ever really knew that I drank too much at night," Mary confessed. "I would calculate how to do it, and I would gear the amount that I drank to how much somebody else was drinking. I made sure I never got to the point where I was really loose and sloppy of speech, unless they were, too!"

"I grew up in a culture in which the cocktail hour was a normal part of living, and I brought that into my own adult life," Mary explained — having endured private tragedies away from the spotlight. Even as she became a star on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," the actress was going through two failed marriages.

Mary Tyler Moore was America's Sweetheart — while fighting a desperate war against alcoholism during decades as a sitcom star! "Nobody ever really knew that I drank too much at night," Mary confessed. "I would calculate how to do it, and I would gear the amount that I drank to how much somebody else was drinking. I made sure I never got to the point where I was really loose and sloppy of speech, unless they were, too!"

"I grew up in a culture in which the cocktail hour was a normal part of living, and I brought that into my own adult life," Mary explained — having endured private tragedies away from the spotlight. Even as she became a star on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," the actress was going through two failed marriages.

Mary's work with MTM Productions was also burdened by the tragic overdose death of her 21-year-old sister Elizabeth in 1978, and the accidental shooting death of her son Richard in 1980. "I numbed my pain with a vodka martini on the rocks," Mary confessed in 1995. "It made me feel better and happier."

Mary Tyler Moore was America's Sweetheart — while fighting a desperate war against alcoholism during decades as a sitcom star! "Nobody ever really knew that I drank too much at night," Mary confessed. "I would calculate how to do it, and I would gear the amount that I drank to how much somebody else was drinking. I made sure I never got to the point where I was really loose and sloppy of speech, unless they were, too!"

"I grew up in a culture in which the cocktail hour was a normal part of living, and I brought that into my own adult life," Mary explained — having endured private tragedies away from the spotlight. Even as she became a star on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," the actress was going through two failed marriages.

Mary's work with MTM Productions was also burdened by the tragic overdose death of her 21-year-old sister Elizabeth in 1978, and the accidental shooting death of her son Richard in 1980. "I numbed my pain with a vodka martini on the rocks," Mary confessed in 1995. "It made me feel better and happier."

It wasn't until her third husband — cardiologist Robert Levine — convinced her to enter the Betty Ford Center in 1984 that Mary finally came to grips with her painful past. "I stayed there for five weeks to examine myself," she recalled, "and look at some of the grieving I hadn't yet completed."

As reported by The National ENQUIRER, Mary was also drinking heavily while coping with diabetes and other health woes. And, as with her diabetes, Mary spoke out about her crippling addiction to alcohol in a bid to help others. "There are a million variations of the theme," she said, "but if you think you have a drinking problem, you do. It took years for me to realize that."