Drew Barrymore opens up about the ‘awful cycle’ she was in before giving up alcohol

In a new personal essay from her magazine, Drew, Drew Barrymore opens up about her sobriety. The actress, talk show host, and mom of two says her separation from alcohol “has been one of the most liberating things in my journey of life.” 

She talked about her relationship with alcohol and how she ultimately decided to pursue self-care and wellness in recent years.

“Maybe our definition of love changes throughout our lives,” she writes, “but I truly believe so much love goes outward. And it can feel selfish to turn that spotlight on ourselves. To make room for me? It just doesn’t track sometimes.” 

Related: Drew Barrymore wants you to know she does not ‘hate sex,’ thank you very much

The December issue of Drew is themed “The Big Warm Hug Issue,” so it’s no surprise she urges her readers to take care of themselves, too.

“One of the bravest things you can do,” she writes, “is slay those dragons and finally change an awful cycle in which you’ve found yourself stuck. For me, it was to stop drinking.” 

She calls saying goodbye to booze “one of the most liberating things in my journey of life” and she said it has allowed her “to finally become free of the torture of guilt and dysfunction.”

“During the holidays, when we spend so much energy trying to measure up to the picture-perfect standards set by the Norman Rockwells of the world, I’d like for you to try to remember to give yourself a pass—a hug, as it were—and I will try, too,” she writes. “Take a moment, take a breath, and give yourself a squeeze. We’re all just doing our best out here. And that in and of itself is something to celebrate.” 

Related: Drew Barrymore gets emotional discussing dating as a single mom

Back in December 2021, Barrymore shared that she’d been sober for two-and-a-half years following her divorce from Will Kopelman (also the father to her daughters Olive, 10, and Frankie, 8). She told CBS Mornings at the time that alcohol “was something that I realized just did not serve me and my life.”

She also revealed last year that she’d spent time in a treatment facility in Utah back in 2016, around the time of her split with Kopelman to help with her mental health.

Barrymore has always been candid about her life as a child star and how she first began partying with her mother, Jaid Barrymore. She had her first drink at 9, smoked marijuanat at 10 and started using cocaine at 12. By 13, she had already gone to a drug rehabilitation center twice.

In her December essay, she says she hopes to find love now that she’s learned how to put herself first and take care of herself.

“I can’t wait to meet that easygoing person with whom I can just be happy,” she says. But I haven’t found them yet, though I believe they are out there.”