The most common addiction among celebrities is alcohol. Alcohol is a socially acceptable drug. It obviously doesn’t have the stigma associated with other hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin.
There are even celebrities such as Demi Lovato who have admitted that alcohol made it easier to handle social situations and to fit in when navigating Hollywood.
Drew Barrymore is taking the time to open up and share stories from her past on her new talk show. Starting off with a conversation on her show with Paris Hilton, Barrymore commented that they shared an experience of being institutionalized at a young age.
“It really is a recipe for disaster,” Barrymore said of becoming famous so young. “But you know what’s exciting? I got my s— over with at, like, 14. Like, midlife crisis, institutionalized, blacklisted, no family, like, got it done, and then got into the cycle of being my own parent, figuring it out.”
Substance abuse ran in the family. Barrymore’s father, actor John Drew Barrymore, was a violent alcoholic while her mother, Jaid, had little desire for parental responsibility. When she was nine years old, her parents divorced. Her father was no longer present in her life and her mother would take her to nightclubs where she was introduced to the world of partying, drinking, and drugs. Barrymore had already been in rehab and survived a suicide attempt by aged 12.
Like others who have gone through the traumatic experiences of addiction, Barrymore encountered a feeling of acceptance crucial to recovery. The dark times have been replaced with the joy of motherhood and positive life experiences. “They’ve made me such a calmer, better person,” she says about her daughters. “I’ll never take the tone with them that work is bad, my past is bad, life is bad. This is the adventure and journey we’re on, but you have to be nice, and safe.”
The Drew Barrymore Show so far comes from a place of chaotic but well-meaning energy. What started in September 2020 as a basic, structured daytime talk show has (sometimes) become a platform for Barrymore to take the opportunity to approach guests with less of a journalistic approach and more of a genuinely interested one.
