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Drew Barrymore has revealed that giving up alcohol allowed her to “finally be free from the torture of guilt” when she opened up about her sobriety.
The Charlie’s Angels actress, 47, discussed her three-and-a-half years of sobriety in an essay published in Take Care of Yourself, the December addition of her monthly magazine titled Drew.
The award-winning actress wrote of her detachment from alcohol as she called it “one of the most liberating things in my life’s journey.”
Getting sober: Drew Barrymore revealed that giving up alcohol allowed her to “finally become free from the torture of guilt” when she opened up about her sobriety
In her monthly magazine, Drew encouraged readers to put themselves first, as she said, “One of the bravest things you can do is slay those dragons and end up changing some horrible cycle you’re stuck in.” For me it was to stop drinking.’
Drew further admitted that giving up alcohol allowed her to “finally become free from the torture of guilt and dysfunction.”
In a message to readers, she continued, “Take a moment, take a deep breath and squeeze yourself. We’re all just doing our best here. And that in itself is something to celebrate.’
A world away: The Charlie’s Angels actress discussed her three-and-a-half years of sobriety after battling both alcohol and drug addiction in her youth (pictured)
Aghast: The host of The Drew Barrymore Show became addicted to cocaine as a child actor which saw her briefly blacklisted from Hollywood at age 12
The seasoned actress who rose to fame at the age of 6 for her performance as Gertie in the 1982 movie, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, battled both alcohol and drug addiction in her youth.
In 1989, Barrymore, then 14, told People magazine how she had her first drink at nine, smoked weed at ten, and started using cocaine at twelve. By the age of thirteen, she had undergone drug addiction treatment twice.
She was briefly blacklisted by Hollywood at the age of 12.
Not one to shy away from her past addictions, Drew told CBS This Morning in December 2021 that “alcohol didn’t serve her.”
Drew would continue to say, “I’d like to move on in a more honest way that’s more conducive to my mental peace.”
“Maybe people think I came up with so many problems when I was young because it was so hard then,” she said.
Legendary: Drew rose to fame at the age of seven in 1982’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
“We keep confronting things with every decade of our lives that almost surpass what we thought we saw. I’m interested in that conversation – we don’t fix it, move on and it never breaks again. We’re on that rollercoaster.’
She previously told The Sun: “I know what it’s like to lose and work for things and be so lucky and get the opportunities I have and everything in between. I don’t think there’s much to hide right now.
Drew shot to fame at the age of seven in 1982’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, followed two years later by Firestarter.
As she approached her teens, the spotlight proved awkward for Drew, whose mother Jaid was a socialite who allowed her daughter to accompany her to venues such as New York’s infamous Studio 54.
And by the age of 12 to 14, the young actress quickly developed a reputation as a “party girl” and “damaged goods.”
Hard time: Drew and her mother – pictured in 1991 – the actress was legally emancipated from Jaid at the age of 14
She was even sent to a mental institution by her mother – an experience Drew recently spoke about with Paris Hilton, who recently appeared as a guest on her show.
The visit was not short either. Drew had to stay for 18 months. “I used to laugh at those places like Malibu 30 Days,” she told the radio personality.
Malibu was more or less the opposite of the experience I had. I was in a place called Van Eyes Psychiatric for a year and a half.
“And you couldn’t mess around in there and if you did you’d be thrown into a padded room or put on stretchers and tied up.”
Later, the starlet legally emancipated from her mother and started anew in Hollywood.
Now, decades later, the successful star and mother is quick to acknowledge how lucky she is.
“I’m honored to have someone on the show. I’m not a guessing person. I’ve been in this industry all my life, but I’m just as excited to be around important people as anyone would be.”
Life is a rollercoaster: Drew battled both alcohol and drug addiction from childhood as she said, “Maybe people think I made up so many problems when I was young because it was so hard back then”