Cheryl Burke has been inundated with supportive messages after she shared a personal update on Wednesday.
The former DWTS pro penned an emotional message to mark seven years of sobriety and shared an eight-slide photo gallery documenting the things she thought she'd miss about drinking but doesn't.
Sobriety
Cheryl admitted she thought she'd miss "the ability to numb everything – the pain, the pressure, the pretending", the "liquid courage" she thought made her "magnetic, untouchable, more loveable".
She also thought she'd miss "being the 'fun one'. The life of the party," the "fake intimacy," and the "freedom."
However, Cheryl noted that "addiction wasn't freedom. It was a cage dressed up like a good time".
Once she quit drinking, she said she found "peace, presence, power, me". She added: "7 years sober. And not one thing I thought I'd miss is worth going back for. If you're struggling: there is another way. I promise you, it's beautiful".
She also included a lengthy caption, which read: "7 years ago, I thought sobriety would mean losing everything. The fun. The freedom. The fearless version of me I thought only showed up after a drink.
© Instagram"But what I didn't realize back then… Was that the escape I craved was really from myself. And the girl I ran from? She was the one waiting to save me."
Cheryl continued: "I used to believe alcohol gave me confidence, connection, and control. Turns out, it stole those things quietly — day by day — until I couldn't recognize my own reflection.
"Today, I no longer chase chaos dressed as fun. I no longer tolerate connections that require me to abandon myself. And I no longer mistake numbness for peace. What I thought I'd miss in sobriety? Was never real to begin with."
© Getty ImagesShe added: "I've gained… Presence. Peace. Self-respect. And a relationship with my Higher Power that reminds me I was never walking alone — not even in my darkest moments. God didn't take the pain away… He held my hand through it and gave me the strength to rise.
"If you're reading this and wondering if it's possible — I promise you, it is. There's a whole world on the other side of rock bottom. And it's so much more beautiful than I ever imagined."
Cheryl concluded: "Here's to 7 years sober. Here's to choosing clarity, wholeness, and me. One day, one hour, one minute at a time."
© Getty ImagesHer followers were quick to send messages of congratulations and offer up words of support, with one responding: "Seven years of choosing yourself every single day. That's beautiful, CB. Sending you love and light."
A second said: "You are an inspiration to so many! Congratulations!!! So happy for you choosing yourself every day. And you can still be fun without alcohol!"
A third added: "Congratulations @cherylburke! That's such a great accomplishment, and you're such an inspiration to others looking to do the same thing."
© Getty ImagesBefore getting sober, Cheryl said she was drinking seven days a week and described herself as a "functioning drunk".
"I'm definitely an alcoholic and addict. Absolutely. Yes, 100%," she said on Elizabeth Vargas' Heart of the Matter podcast in 2021.
