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Shannon Beador is said to be drinking again after her September 2023 DUI and hit-and-run arrest — and after completing “28 days of behavioral wellness” counseling with an alcohol specialist.
According to a new report, friends are concerned about the Real Housewives of Orange County star, 59, feeling that she believes she doesn’t have an alcohol problem and worrying that she may be using alcohol to cope with the intense pressure that comes with starring on a reality show.
“Even after her recent DUI and outpatient rehab she is still drinking,” an insider told the Daily Mail on May 2. “She isn’t getting wasted and getting behind the wheel, but she still does enjoy a drink.”
“Although Shannon thinks this is okay, it is of concern to those who love her and have supported her through her process of overcoming the pain caused by the DUI,” the source continued. “It is ultimately Shannon’s life – but lying to herself and trying to convince herself that her drinking is not a problem after getting a DUI from an accident that could have been way worse is not on.”
According to the insider, those close to Shannon fear she’s drinking to cope with pressure from RHOC.
“She sure knows how to stay on air but she doesn’t know how to deal with the pressure of that it seems,” the source stated. “Drinking isn’t the healthy way to handle the stress of being a rich and successful reality star with your own food empire.”
Back in November, after it was revealed that she had a blood alcohol level of 0.24 percent — three times the legal limit — at the time of her arrest, Shannon avoided jail time and was instead sentenced to three years of probation.
She was also required to complete 40 hours of community service and attend a nine-month alcohol program.
Although both Tamra Judge, 56, and Gina Kirschenheiter, have alluded to the idea that Shannon is still drinking, with Gina saying on The Sarah Fraser Show podcast in December that her castmate was “not gonna be outed,” Shannon claimed her co-stars “[didn’t] know anything” about her alcohol use during an appearance on Bravo’s Hot Mic podcast that same month.
“If the concern from my cast was genuine, then I appreciate it. I don’t know if it was genuine in all cases. And we’ll just leave it at that,” she stated.
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 is expected to premiere on Bravo sometime later this year.
