Southern Charm Star Craig Conover Opens Up About Pulling Back from Drinking In Order to Send a Message To Paige DeSorbo

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Southern Charm is back for its 10th season, and longtime fans couldn’t be more excited. Craig Conover is a fan favorite from the series. Now, the Bravo star is opening up about his decision to pull back from drinking as a way to send a message to his girlfriend, Paige DeSorbo. 

Craig and Paige began dating in 2021. Since then, they have become a hot topic in the reality TV space, and they have even appeared on each other’s shows. Naturally, there has been much talk about the two tying the knot at some point. 

Recently, Craig sat down for an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. In it, he discussed how his life has changed since season nine of Southern Charm. One of the biggest revelations is that he has basically stopped drinking. 

According to Craig, “I pretty much stopped drinking. Probably once every two months I’ll have a drink or two, but that is drastically better than drinking every night or every other night. I’m having fun finding that middle ground.”

He then explained that he did so to prove to Paige that he’s ready to be a husband and a father. He said, “I had made a decision months before the season started to become more of a husband and father material than just the fun boyfriend.”

Craig continued, “I could see it in Paige’s eyes that she saw the person I could be. A lot of the energy I used to put into going out was now being put into my company, so my schedule has increased drastically. I just feel like a regular person now instead of someone that’s waiting to film again.”

The Southern Charm star went on to say that his father also inspired his decision to cut back on drinking. “I talked to my dad, and I was like, ‘Well, nothing bad’s happening.’ And he’s like, “Yeah, you’re right. You’re not blacking out. You’re not drinking in excess like that anymore, but nothing good’s happening either. You’re living a very stagnant life, and it’s very repetitive.’”

Craig went on, “And that was a great point. I always imagined myself doing that [like my dad]. I just didn’t realize that you needed to start somewhere.”

He also reflected on his past relationship with alcohol by saying, “I didn’t know any better. I was just filling my time. Every activity to me was a drinking activity, and I never knew the world outside of it. That was always my priority, and I’ve found value in other things. It’s been a real blessing.”

Regarding his life today, Craig says he’s devoting his time to more “wholesome activities.” He then said, “There is a part of me that I haven’t necessarily killed off, but I’ve put away. And I think people who really liked that side of me will have to mourn, which I never considered before.”

Notably, he used the Reframe app to help change his habits. 

The topic of his relationship also came up. He discussed how the “noise” can sometimes impact couples on TV and how he and Paige try to block it out to keep their union strong. 

“We’re playing the long game. It would be easy to go for instant gratification, but the foundation that we’re building is so that we die together one day, not just make it fun. We know we’re going to get married one day, and when it happens, it’ll be a lot of fun, but whenever that is, who knows?” he said.

He added, “Once you take yourself out of that pressure cooker and have some perspective and travel, life’s a little more simple. There’s no reason to put pressure on it. I think people will have a lot more of our lives to watch because we’re taking our time than if we were to rush it.”

Craig added that he and Paige are very much interested in having a family when the time is right, and he’s doing all he can to make their relationship work. 

Southern Charm airs on Thursday nights on Bravo.