Summary:
- Drew Barrymore openly talks about her family’s alcoholism and her own struggles, aiming to end the cycle for her kids.
- After therapy, she quit drinking and focused on hosting The Drew Barrymore Show, motivated by her role as a mother.
From her debut in an advertisement at just 11 months old to her iconic roles in films like ET, Charlie’s Angels, and 50 First Dates, Drew Barrymore has experienced numerous highs and lows under the public spotlight.
However, beyond her successful acting career, there’s something else she values even more. Drew Barrymore, known for her roles in Scream and as a talk show host, has always been open about her family’s struggles with alcohol abuse.
This issue runs deep in her family, with her grandfather, John Barrymore, and aunt, Diana Barrymore, both battling addiction. Even her father, John Drew Barrymore, has faced alcoholism.
In an interview with People Magazine, Barrymore shared that quitting drinking is her way of honoring her family name, which has a history of indulgence.
“I think, for me, stopping drinking is one of the most honoring things I can do to the Barrymore name because we have all been such hedonists.”
The Donnie Darko star added: “Don’t look to me as the pillar of health and wellness and having it all together.”
“It’s like, you know what? This didn’t work for our family, and I’m going to stop it. I’m going to be the one to break the link in that chain and maybe my kids and their kids will be better off for it. We have to fight genetic follies that our families bring to us..”
Drew Barrymore has always been candid about her challenges throughout her career.
As a young star, Drew Barrymore was frequently taken partying by her mother, sometimes going out with her and her friends up to five times a week, as she shared with The Guardian in 2015.
Reflecting on her past, Barrymore admitted to being out of control during her youth, recounting incidents like skipping school, taking her mom’s car without permission, and regularly clubbing.
Her tumultuous behavior led to her being placed in rehab at the age of 13 by her mother. She subsequently spent 18 months in a hospital for drug and alcohol addiction, an experience she described as “probably the lowest” during an interview on The Howard Stern Show in 2021.
Despite overcoming addiction in her teen years, Drew Barrymore found herself relying on alcohol again after her third divorce.
Reflecting on this challenging period, Barrymore shared, “After the life I planned for my kids didn’t work out — I almost think that was harder than the stuff [I went through] as a kid. It felt a lot more real because it wasn’t just me. It was about these kids that I cared so much about.”
Barrymore realized that she had been solely focused on caring for her children at the expense of her own well-being. She described this time as “a messy, painful, excruciating walk-through-the-fire-and-come-back-to-life kind of trajectory.”
Following therapy, Drew Barrymore made the decision to stop drinking and redirected her focus towards hosting The Drew Barrymore Show.
“It was my kids that made me feel like it’s game time,” she concluded.
