Ray Rice — I Blame Liquor for Elevator Attack … And I’ve Sworn Off Hard Liquor

EXCLUSIVE

Ray Rice says hard liquor was the fuel that triggered his elevator rage and he hasn’t touched the stuff in months … sources accurate to Rice tell TMZ Sports.

Rice told the Baltimore Ravens he and Janay Palmer had been drinking HEAVILY before the altercation. Rice is telling friends he becomes a different person when he boozes it up … so he’s changed his life.

But he hasn’t changed that much, because we’re told he still drinks wine … just not hard liquor.

Our sources say Ray and his wife have gotten deep into religion since the February incident — they were both baptized in March when they decided to become Born again Christians. 

We’re also told they’ve also done religious mentoring with other couples … including NFL players and their wives. 

As for Ray, he issued a statement Tuesday saying he’s trying to “work through this” — noting, “We have a lot of people praying for us.”