The actress Drew Barrymore recently appeared on the US chat show Oprah. During this interview, she discussed her history of drug addiction, and she said that she would not feel any shame when it comes to sharing this story with her daughter. Drew wants to tell her daughter about this aspect of her life, so that her daughter can learn from what happened. The childhood addiction problems of this actress came as a shock to many of her fans at the time, but by the time she had reached adulthood, these problems were behind her.
Drew Barrymore’s Early Years of Abuse
Drew developed serious drug abuse problems at a very young age. She was a childhood star after appearing in movies such as ET and Altered States. The pressures of stardom seem to have had a very negative impact on Drew. She began smoking cigarettes at age nine, and had turned to alcohol at age 11. Things got worse from then on. By the age of 12, she was using marijuana and one year later, she was using cocaine. Drew entered her first rehab at age 13, and there were many more admissions to follow. Things got so bad for her that by age 14 she had tried to commit suicide.
By the time Drew had reached the age of 14, she had a serious history of drug abuse. Her off screen life was so different from her on screen persona that fans were shocked by her antics. Like many other young stars, she seemed to be self-destructing as the media watched on. It looked as if she was doomed to and early death, but then she managed to turn things around. One of the things that helped her a great deal was coming out of rehab the last time and spending time with sober people. She started to see that it would be possible for her to have a good life without the need for alcohol or drugs.
Since given up substance abuse Drew Barrymore has still had to endure the ups and downs of life. She has managed to hold onto her sobriety though, and this has meant that she has been able to handle life. Drew does not feel ashamed about her past because it got her to where she is today. She will be hoping that by sharing her problems it will mean that her daughter will be able to escape all that pain.
Drew Barrymore is a Fine Example for Young Substance Abusers
Drew is a fine example for those who fall into drug abuse at a young age. She has show how it will be possible for these teenagers to sort out their problems before reaching adulthood, so that they will then be able to go on and live a good life. One of the things that really seemed to help her was finding that there were other people in the same position – going through rehab with these other troubled teenagers meant that she did not feel so alone anymore.
