Drew Barrymore Gets Candid About 'Liberating' Sobriety Journey

Hollywood star, Drew Barrymore's journey to sobriety has been extensively covered by the media, but it's a topic the actress herself hardly speaks on. She recently reflected on her sobriety journey and called it one of "the most liberating things" she's done in life. She spoke about self-care and the importance of "putting wellness" first and shared advice with those struggling with addiction.

Barrymore first shared that she'd been sober for over two years in December 2021 after she divorced Will Kopelman. She subsequently revealed that she'd spent time at a Utah treatment facility to help her change her life. Her addiction battle was tough as it had spanned decades, from drinking as a child star to her mother forcing her into a psychiatric facility.

Barrymore is now sober and rising to the top of the media industry. She runs her TV show, "The Drew Barrymore Show," and a podcast called "Drew's News." Her show is currently in its third season and is one of the most popular talk shows currently. It has featured guests like Martha Stewart, Serena Williams, and Ina Garten. 

Read on to find out more.

For the winter issue of her magazine, "Drew," Barrymore wrote an essay about self-care and the importance of placing wellness first at all times. The essay "Take Care of Yourself" includes the actress and talk show host's experiences from her sobriety journey. Barrymore wrote about how "liberating" it was to eliminate alcohol and drugs from her life.

She wrote per Yahoo, "One of the bravest things you can do is slay those dragons and finally change an awful cycle in which you've found yourself stuck. For me, it was to stop drinking." Barrymore explained that finally letting go of alcohol was "one of the most liberating things in my journey of life" and said that it helped her "to finally become free of the torture of guilt and dysfunction."

The "Blended" actress first spoke about her sobriety journey in December 2021 after divorcing Kopelman. During an interview on CBS Mornings, she said she'd been sober for two and a half years. Barrymore explained that alcohol "was something that I realized just did not serve me and my life."

During an episode of her talk show shortly after, Barrymore revealed that she registered for a treatment facility in Utah around 2016 in an effort to change her life. She said, "I wasn't doing very well and I just wanted to go talk to some people on how to pull myself out of a hole." Around that time, Barrymore also quietly closed down her Barrymore Wines business.

The actress' battle with alcohol and drugs has spanned decades, from her rise to fame as a child star until she finally quit in 2019. Barrymore has previously revealed that she often went partying with her mother, Jaid, as a child, which led to her getting her first drink at 9, trying pot at 10, and delving into cocaine and other drugs by 12.

By the time Barrymore turned 13, she'd gone to drug rehab twice and relapsed both times. She eventually detailed her rehab and relapse journey in her book "Little Girl Lost." Jaid also committed Barrymore to a psychiatric facility for 18 months to force her to get sober. When she eventually got out, she filed for emancipation and began rebuilding her career.

After establishing herself as an actress, Barrymore shared that she began drinking again, but only socially to help her "get out of my own head." During a 2018 interview, she explained that she avoided drugs, especially cocaine because it "literally seems like my worst nightmare."

Since getting sober, Barrymore has risen to the top of the media industry, running "The Drew Barrymore" show and her podcast, "Drew's News." Her podcast features Barrymore discussing various trending topics, and the latest episode was of her discussing her sex life since her divorce from Kopelman.

"The Drew Barrymore Show" is currently in its third season and is one of the most popular talk shows currently. It has featured guests like George Clooney, Martha Stewart, Serena Williams, and Ina Garten. According to ET News, it averaged over 1.2 million viewers in 2022 alone.