Jim Spellman
Love & Basketball actress Sanaa Lathan is finer than ever at 49, and the star has recently revealed the secret to her glowing ageless look.
During an interview with PEOPLE magazine, Lathan said she finally decided to quit drinking, but the decision wasn’t just about vanity, it was for her overall mental and physical health.
“I stopped drinking about three years ago,” she explained. “Alcohol was not going well with me physically. Just, it was not working anymore. It affects everything, and that’s part of the reason why I stopped, because even if you’re going out a couple of times a week and you’re drinking, it was starting to affect me throughout the week. It wouldn’t be necessarily a hangover, but it definitely dimmed my energy. I didn’t feel as good. It was affecting anxiety.”
The NAACP Image Award recipient further noted that after doing research on the effects of alcohol on the brain, that she stood firm in her decision to toss out the hooch for good. “You don’t realize how over time it gets your brain out of balance as well,” she added. Lathan shared that she was inspired by her mother who never drank a day in her life, but still managed to have a lot of fun.
Meditation has also become a source of therapy for Lathan now that she’s completely sober. The actress who is gearing up for her debut in Netflix’s series Hit & Run shared that a tragic incident involving a friend inspired her to pick up the spiritual practice.
“I grew up with a mother who taught me about meditation so, I did it on and off,” she recalled. “The reason why I came to this practice was several years ago, I went through a lot of trauma. I had a best friend who died suddenly. She was not sick. It was completely unexpected. I didn’t process it. I was in a shock type of situation.”
After failing to properly mourn the loss of her dear friend, Lathan began to experience panic attacks as a result of the unresolved trauma. She said that’s she’s happy to have found a holistic way to treat the scary spells instead of depending on anxiety medication.
“There’s so many benefits… I’m a huge believer, a huge advocate,” she cheered and there’s certainly so much to be thankful for, according to Lathan.
“I just feel really blessed to be on this journey, as challenging as it’s been, of being an artist in this business,” the former Brown Sugar star said of her fruitful acting career. “I don’t take for granted the success that I’ve had.”
