DREW Barrymore has opened up about her struggles with alcoholism during a candid conversation with Blink Twice director Zoë Kravitz.
Drew, 49, was interviewing Zoë, 35, about her directorial debut, which deals with sensitive themes including sexual violence and substance abuse, during a new episode of The Drew Barrymore Show.
Reflecting on her experience of watching Blink Twice, Drew admitted the movie affected her on a personal level, while opening up about her sobriety journey.
“I used to be a blackout drinker,” she told Zoë. “So watching this film was an extraordinary journey for me to forgive myself for that.”
“Because I’ve put myself in situations I shouldn’t have put myself in, and I felt so much shame about that.
“And I haven’t had a drink in five years,” Drew continued, before the Big Little Lies star congratulated her on the milestone.
‘WHAT A REVELATION’
Drew’s fans praised the Hollywood star for being “raw and real” after a clip from the episode was shared on the show’s official Instagram account.
“Proud of You Drew! Love You girl! Its essence is inspiring!” one person commented.
“What a revelation, tysm [thank you so much] for sharing, Drew,” another user added.
“Love you @drewbarrymore and congratulations on 5 years sober!! It will be the same for me in a couple weeks,” a third fan shared.
“Just wish I’d done it sooner rather than hiding from my trauma with alcohol and only creating more issues for myself. Thank you for sharing and always being vulnerable, raw and real,” they continued.
A similar comment read, “Drew. Thank you for being authentic and real! You are helping so many others.”
Drew Barrymore praised by audience member for ‘changing her life’ after star comforted sobbing fan on her lap on show
This isn’t the first time Drew has addressed her battle with alcoholism on the show.
During an episode that was aired last year, Drew became emotional after she was reunited with a flight attendant who comforted the actress amid her fight to get sober.
“I was your flight attendant four years ago, and here I am crying on your show now,” the woman, who was part of the show’s studio audience, told Drew.
With tears in her eyes, she continued, “We sat in my galley, and you cried and cried because you were going through so much.”
Drew has previously spoken candidly about developing a drinking problem at the age of 11, after gaining national fame as a child actor for her performance in E.T.
Through the years, she worked to get clean but, when her third marriage to Will Kopelman ended in 2016, Drew relapsed.
She ultimately gave up drinking for good in August 2019, shortly after filming the pilot episode of her eponymously-titled CBS talk show.
“I think the opportunity at a show like this really hit me,” she previously told The Los Angeles Times. “I was like, ‘I can’t handle this unless I’m in a really clear place.'”
10 Iconic Drew Barrymore Films
10. Charlie’s Angels (2000)
9. Donnie Darko (2009)
8. Never Been Kissed (1999)
7. The Wedding Singer (1998)
6. Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998)
5. 50 First Dates (2004)
4. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
3. E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982)
2. Irreconcilable Differences (1983)
1. Grey Gardens (2009)
The Drew Barrymore Show was renewed for a fifth season earlier this year, with the premiere episode airing on Monday, September 9.
The daytime talk show will continue through at least 2026, Variety reported last month, after it secured an early season six renewal.
The news was confirmed by Wendy McMahon, the president and CEO of CBS News and Stations, who praised the actress as a “one-of-a-kind talent” in a statement.
She said the renewal was a “testament to our commitment to ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ and its loyal audience, who tune in every day to see Drew’s warmth, inquisitiveness and spontaneity.”
HOW DREW OVERCAME ADDICTION
Drew’s early stardom led her down a path of alcohol and drug abuse, with the actress previously revealing she had her first drink at the age of nine and became addicted to cocaine when she was 12.
She was sent to rehab at 14 and, at the age of 15, she told The Los Angeles Times, ““I don’t do that stuff anymore . . . I don’t go around it.
“Through sobriety I’ve found another life, a better life. But it hasn’t been easy.”
Drew documented her battle to overcome addiction in her memoir Little Girl Lost, which was published in 1990.
Nearly two decades later, Drew’s divorce from Will, an art consultant, caused her to relapse, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Drew said she turned to alcohol to “numb the pain and feel good” in the “cripplingly difficult” aftermath of her divorce.
Acknowledging that her drinking habits were unhealthy, she told the outlet, “The drinking thing for me was a constant.
“Like, ‘You cannot change. You are weak and incapable of doing what’s best for you. You keep thinking you will master this thing, and it’s getting the better of you,'” she continued.
Eventually, the mother-of-two said, her celebrity talk show gave her “something to believe in” and quit drinking for good.
Drew shares two daughters, OIivia Barrymore Kopelman, 11, and Frankie Barrymore Kopelman, 10, with Will.
