Television personality Howie Mandel has disclosed that he nearly died from mixing alcohol, prescription medications, and THC gummies during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Mandel, 70, shared his experience on the Hoda Kotb's Joy 101 podcast, detailing how he managed his mental health amid lockdown.
Mandel, who has openly discussed struggles with anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), explained that he was attempting to balance his medication regimen and therapy to manage his mental state. He noted that his fear of debilitating low moods drove him to self-medicate, a practice that he stated was detrimental to his marriage.
"I've medicated myself, and I'm talking about prescription medication," Mandel said. "I'm not self-medicating, though I did that during COVID, and I almost died, so I'm medicated. I'm surrounded by professionals."
He revealed that insomnia, exacerbated by his germaphobia and the global pandemic, led him to use THC-infused gummies to help him sleep. This practice escalated as he began to also consume alcohol and smoke, seeking to escape and achieve unconsciousness.
Mandel's wife, Terry, became increasingly concerned by his behavior. "There were times when my wife couldn't wake me up or she thought she was going to take me to the hospital," he recalled.
This concern culminated in his wife issuing an ultimatum. "My wife just went, 'I can't do this. This is really tiring. Go talk to somebody.' The ultimatum was, 'Try to find some help because I can't do this anymore,'" Mandel explained.
Mandel credited his wife as a "hero" for her support and for compelling him to seek professional help. He stated that he is now sober and has abstained from alcohol and any other mood-altering substances since that period, emphasizing that he cannot consume anything in moderation. "It wasn't healthy, and it wasn't good. It's not an excuse, but it was really bad," he admitted.