'Bachelorette' Meredith Phillips: I'm an Alcoholic

Now five months sober, former Bachelorette Meredith Phillips is opening up publicly about her lifelong addiction with alcohol.

Related: Andy Dick Opens Up About His Sobriety

Best known for her time opposite Bachelor Bob Guiney, and subsequent stint as The Bachelorette in 2004, Phillips, 39, recently revealed to People magazine that she is currently seeking help for a drinking habit that, at its worst, consisted of ingesting 20 bottles of wine per week.

"For years I'd wake up every day feeling like I was hit by a truck," she remembered.

Fearing her addiction would ultimately lead to her demise, Phillips decided to get help.

"I realized I was going to kill myself," she said. "There wasn't another path for me other than to stop."

Related: Lindsay Lohan on Drug Use: I've Only Done Cocaine 4 or 5 Times

Despite an admittedly difficult struggle to stay sober, Phillips told the mag she's "finally starting to live my life again."

For Phillips' full interview, pick up the new issue of People, on newsstands Friday, May 24.