Drew Barrymore Recalls Therapist Quitting On Her Over Intense Post-Divorce Struggle With Alcohol

Drew Barrymore recently revealed that her therapist, Barry Michels, quit on her due to her post-divorce drinking problem. Barrymore and her ex-husband, Will Kopelman, were married for about four years and had two daughters.

During Barrymore's drinking spiral, some of her friends, like Cameron Diaz, said it was "difficult to watch." The actress revealed that she and Michels eventually resumed their working relationship two years after he quit.

Barrymore also admitted that she's struggling with sharing her alcohol and substance abuse history with her kids. She's previously revealed that she has no plans to marry again, saying marriage is an "outdated concept" in the modern world. 

Read on to find out more.

During a new interview with the LA Times, Drew Barrymore revealed that she delved right back into drinking after her divorce from Will Kopelman. She shared that the drinking got so bad that her therapist, Barry Michels, quit because he couldn't handle it.

Barrymore said, "He (Michels) just said, 'I can't do this anymore.' It was really about my drinking. I said, 'I get it. I've never respected you more. You see, I'm not getting better. And I hope, one day, that I can earn your trust back.'"

The "Blended" actress shared that the drinking was because she felt like she'd failed her daughters by not being able to provide a unified family. Barrymore and Kopelman were married for about four years and now co-parent their girls, Olive and Frankie.

Barrymore conveyed during the interview that she quickly began to spiral after the divorce, which alarmed her closest friends, like Cameron Diaz. Diaz, who's been friends with Barrymore for years, said the situation was very "difficult to watch."

Diaz said, "But I knew that if we all stuck with her and gave her the support she needed, she would find her way. I have absolute faith in her. You can't even comprehend how hard it was to be her as a child, and then she shot out the other end with the ability to save herself."

Barrymore also explained that despite the concern and calling out by Michels and her friends, she wasn't able to get a hold of the drinking until 2019. The actress was only able to stop after she'd filmed the first episode of her "The Drew Barrymore Show." She said, "I was like, 'I can't handle this unless I'm in a really clear place.'"

About two years after her therapist quit, Barrymore finally reached out to him, and they resumed their working relationship. While speaking about herself, the "Never Been Kissed" star said, "You seem to be so inspired by everybody else, but you treat yourself like s**t. When are you going to be enough for yourself?"

The actress also admitted that she's still struggling with many things, including how to share her alcohol and substance abuse history with her daughters. However, Barrymore is optimistic that everything will work out well in the future.

She said, "I realized that just with me and my girls, I am truly happy. I'd always thought I'd be on this hamster wheel for this whole life. But maybe there will be something different before the lights go out."

During a 2020 cover story interview with People magazine, Barrymore revealed that she has no plans to ever get married again. The "50 First Dates" actress explained that she's still interested in falling in love, but when it comes to marriage, she said, "Never. Never, never, never."

Barrymore added, "I will never get married again! And I also believe people should not say the word 'never,' and I will never, with a capital N-E-V-E-R, never get married. I never want to be entwined with someone like that again ever. You break up, and you move on. You get divorced, and it's just so different."

The actress explained that she's convinced marriage is a very outdated idea that doesn't fit the modern world. With her history of marriages, it's easy to understand Barrymore's stance. She's been married twice before, to Jeremy Thomas from 1994 to 1995 and to Tom Green from 2001 to 2002.