Rami Hawash Says He’s Going to AA During Sober October After Admitting a Drinking Problem

Rami Hawash says he is going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and taking part in Sober October after publicly acknowledging that alcohol has become a serious problem in his life.

The October 2 update follows a difficult few weeks in which Hawash and his fiancée, Gemma Collins, have allowed cameras to show how drinking has affected their relationship in the Sky series Gemma Collins: Everything. All At Once. Hawash had already said on camera that he had a drink problem and needed help. Now he says he is actively attending AA and trying a month without alcohol.

That makes this more than a celebrity joining a seasonal wellness challenge. The interesting question is what happens when a 31-day experiment becomes one part of a larger attempt to change.

What did Rami Hawash say about AA and Sober October?

In his latest public update, Hawash said he is fighting alcohol addiction, attending AA meetings and taking part in Sober October. He thanked people for supporting him, while Collins publicly responded with encouragement.

The announcement comes soon after viewers saw a more uncomfortable part of the couple’s relationship on Sky. The series follows Collins and Hawash through wedding plans, fertility hopes, family pressures and repeated relationship strain. Sky’s own episode descriptions show the couple seeking help after rows and later going to therapy.

So the October post did not appear out of nowhere. It followed a period in which Hawash’s drinking had already become part of the public story.

What had Rami said about drinking before this?

In reporting around the launch of the series, Hawash acknowledged that he had been drinking to cope and described alcohol as something that helped him forget what he was dealing with. He also said, in blunt terms, that he had a drink problem.

Collins has spoken about how difficult that has been for her and has asked viewers not to reduce Hawash to his worst moments. Their relationship history is complicated, but the current issue is fairly clear: both of them have publicly said alcohol was creating problems, and Hawash is now saying he is seeking help.

That is an important factual line to keep. CWM does not need to diagnose Hawash or decide what level of alcohol use disorder he may or may not have. We can report what he has chosen to say publicly and what support he says he is using.

Is AA the same thing as doing Sober October?

No. They can overlap, but they are not the same kind of thing.

Sober October is usually a voluntary 31-day alcohol-free challenge. CWM already has a separate Sober October 2026 guide for the rules, dates and practical month-long challenge.

AA is a mutual-support program centered on peer support and a 12-step framework. The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism notes that mutual-support groups such as AA can help some people make and sustain changes, and can be used alongside professionally led treatment.

That distinction matters here. A month without alcohol can be useful. A meeting can be useful. Neither one, by itself, tells strangers what Hawash’s long-term recovery will look like.

There is also a safety point that should not get buried under the Sober October label: NIAAA warns that people who have been drinking heavily for a prolonged period can experience dangerous withdrawal if they suddenly stop. Anyone in that situation should seek medical guidance rather than treating a social-media challenge as a detox plan.

Why Gemma Collins’ support is part of the story — but not the whole answer

Collins has been unusually public about the strain of loving someone whose drinking is affecting the relationship. In the Sky series, she is also juggling fertility treatment, family responsibilities and grief. That means her role can easily get romanticized into “the supportive partner who saves him.”

That would be unfair to both of them.

Support can matter enormously. But one partner cannot attend another person’s meeting, make another person stop drinking, or guarantee what happens after October 31.

That is why the current update is more meaningful than a promise made to a fiancée. Hawash is describing actions that belong to him: showing up to a meeting, trying a sober month, and publicly acknowledging a problem.

OliviaC: a month can be a doorway without being the whole house

A month can be a doorway. It does not have to pretend to be the whole house.

I like Sober October when it gives someone enough distance to notice what alcohol has been doing in their life. I like it less when 31 days becomes a performance with a finish line and a congratulatory drink waiting on November 1.

Hawash’s situation is different because he is pairing the month with something ongoing: AA meetings and an admission that this is not simply about “being healthier for October.”

That does not guarantee an outcome. It does make the question more useful.

Maybe the point of a 31-day challenge is not to prove you can do 31 days. Maybe it is to gather enough honest information to decide what you need next.

If the first weekend is the part that feels unexpectedly difficult, How to Get Through Sober October When the First Weekend Feels Hard has the practical side. For partners and families, How Families Can Support Recovery Without Controlling It goes deeper into the line between care and responsibility.

Go Deeper

Sources

The Sun — Rami Hawash’s October 2 AA and Sober October update
Sky — Gemma Collins: Everything. All At Once series overview
Sky — episode descriptions showing relationship strain and help-seeking
NIAAA — alcohol use disorder, mutual support and withdrawal safety
NIAAA — treatment and mutual-support options

Featured image: Gemma Collins performing in Birmingham in April 2022, photo by DarkGlow via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. The image is archival and does not depict Hawash’s October 2026 AA/Sober October announcement.