Drew Barrymore opened up about being sober and the freedom she has experienced from beating her struggles with alcohol. Barrymore touched on the subject in an essay she wrote for her DREW magazine.
The 47-year-old actress and talk show host described how self-care was a big part of her journey to sobriety. To truly tackle her demons, Barrymore had to learn to put herself first.
It wasn’t something that came easily because it is natural for individuals to feel selfish for directing love inwards instead of outwards. However, it was only by putting herself first that she could change her situation.
Barrymore admitted that her self-care included her breaking free of what had become an “awful cycle” of drinking. Meanwhile, she couldn’t be happier in her sobriety.
She stated that giving up alcohol let her “become free of the torture of guilt and dysfunction.”
She concluded with a note to readers about the upcoming holidays. Amid the stressful holidays in which people feel the pressure to measure up, she reminded her readers to take a moment, hug themselves, and celebrate that they’re doing the best they can.
Drew Barrymore’s sobriety journey
This isn’t the first time that Barrymore has addressed her sobriety. She also talked about it during an interview on CBS Mornings in 2021.
During the interview, she revealed that she had been sober for two-and-a-half years. However, the CBS Morning interview was the very first time she publicly discussed her sobriety.
She explained that it was a very “quiet, confident journey” that she embarked on. Once she hit the milestone of two-and-a-half years, though, she knew sobriety had become a lifestyle that would remain and felt comfortable speaking about.
Barrymore didn’t go into detail about her journey, but she did state that she realized that alcohol simply didn’t serve her and her life, so she set out to get rid of it.
Barrymore also discussed why it was important for her to talk publicly about her personal struggles with alcohol and mental health.
The discussion of her struggles isn’t about getting attention, it is simply that she found being honest about her journey has given her more mental peace.
Barrymore opened up about troubled childhood
Barrymore’s journey is especially inspiring, given everything she has been through in her life. Her woes began when she was born into a family of actors and shot to fame after starring in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial at age six.
While the world knew her as an adorable little film star, behind the scenes, she struggled with two abusive parents. Her life truly started to shatter at age eight when her parents divorced.
Her mother, Jaid Barrymore, raised Barrymore herself and introduced her to drugs at a young age. At just eight years old, Barrymore would go out partying with her mother and her mother’s friends.
This resulted in her developing alcohol and drug addiction at the tender age of 12. By the time she was emancipated at age 15 and declared a legal adult, she had been in rehab multiple times.
Though she struggled to find work in her late teens, she ultimately experienced a surge in her career during her 20s and 30s. She also found those ages were more carefree than her childhood.
Barrymore has continued to struggle in her life, having been through three divorces and dealing with alcoholism. However, she has also been open about how she has overcome incredible odds to find peace and happiness in her life and career.