Jaimie Alexander is speaking candidly about the life-threatening health crisis that led her to get sober.
In a new Substack post, the 41-year-old Thor: Love and thunder actress revealed she realized she had a drinking problem while traveling with a new romantic partner – just days before her appendix ruptured.
Alexander wrote that the couple had traveled outside New York City to view properties and became snowed in at their Airbnb. When she realized there was no alcohol in the house, she panicked, noting that she hadn’t had “a single sober day in years.”
Her partner was completely sober, which added to her fear.
They returned to town the next day, but when she got home she felt dizzy “in a way that felt dangerous.”
She tried to drink anyway, but found that it didn’t work. The next day the symptoms worsened. She became “irritable and unstable,” and during a workout her trainer told her she was off balance and appeared unusual.
The next morning she began to have more and more pain. On set, she asked the nurse for Tums and was given stomach massages, but nothing soothed the discomfort. By lunchtime she could no longer stand. A doctor examined her and asked if she had ovarian cysts, which indicated a possible rupture.
Her obstetrician quickly identified the true problem and urged her to go to the hospital immediately, telling her, “Your appendix is rupturing. If they don’t remove it right away, I’ll come and do it myself.”
Alexander said her appendix completely ruptured and she developed sepsis. As she came to terms with the gravity of the situation, she remembered hearing a voice asking if she was ready to die. She replied that this was not the case – and the voice said to her: “Then you can never drink again.”
She described the moment as a turning point, one that brought sudden clarity. After emergency surgery and a five-day hospital stay, she decided to stay sober.
Her friend supported her by encouraging her to attend a meeting. Alexander wrote that what felt like the worst moment of her life was “exactly what I needed,” and ended her post by reminding others that they don’t have to go through tough times alone.
