April 4 (UPI) -- Luann de Lesseps is a sober and "happier" person since her highly-publicized arrest.
The 52-year-old television personality said in an interview Tuesday with Entertainment Tonight that she's a "changed person" following her return from rehab.
"[I] was definitely self-medicating," de Lesseps told the publication. "I was using alcohol to numb myself, and now that I'm aware of that, I don't foresee that I am going to have this problem again."
"Right now, I'm just not into drinking because I feel so much happier without it," she said.
De Lesseps returned home in January after seeking treatment for alcohol abuse. She had checked into a facility in December after she was arrested and charged with disorderly intoxication and battery on a police officer.
"I just felt like it was an out-of-control moment for me, and I don't like to be out of control," the star said of her arrest.
"It was very embarrassing and all I can say is that it changed my life in such a way now. I just feel like so much more control and happier," she shared.
The Real Housewives of New York star said in the April 16 issue of People that she was drinking at least seven drinks a day prior to her arrest.
"I would start with a martini and maybe have two martinis, and then get into the wine at dinner," she recalled. "Then I'd have a little bit of vodka soda going out."
De Lesseps confirmed she's presently avoiding alcohol but taking her sobriety day by day.
"All I know is that not drinking works for me right now. Will I drink again? I don't know. I miss good red wine," she said. "Who knows where we'll all be tomorrow. For today, that's the choice that I'm making for myself."
