Drew Barrymore opens up about breaking cycle of alcohol abuse as she wants to 'honor' her family

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Drew Barrymore is proud of being able to oust a detrimental habit from her family. “I think, for me, stopping drinking is one of the most honoring things I can do to the Barrymore name because we have all been such hedonists,” the 49-year-old told People in an interview published on Saturday, April 13. 

“Don’t look to me as the pillar of health and wellness and having it all together,” she warned. “It’s just like, you know what? This didn’t work for our family, and I’m going to stop it,” the 'Charlie’s Angels' actress explained, adding “I’m going to be the one to break the link in that chain and maybe my kids and their kids will be better off for it.”

Drew Barrymore comes from an illustrious but alcoholic family

Drew comes from a long line of actors, her father being the legendary actor John Barrymore while his siblings Ethel and Lionel Barrymore were Oscar winners. Their father, John Barrymore Sr, was one of the best-known actors in the 1920s and ’30s.

However, Drew also comes from a family which has long struggled with alcohol related problems. Her grandfather lost his life to alcoholism in 1942 and her father also suffered from the disease. Infamously, the '50 First Dates' star was hooked on drugs and alcohol by the time she was a teenager and was sent to a rehabilitation institution to get sober at the age of 13.

Drew Barrymore reflected on her journey of being sober

Drew revisited the Van Nuys Psychiatric Hospital during an emotional segment of 'The Drew Barrymore Show' in September 2021 to reflect on her journey.

“I was a real wild child and I just got so out of control that no one knew what to do with me,” she recalled, holding back tears. “They drove me here in the middle of the night and they walked me through those two doors and when you go through those two doors you do not come out. And I was there for a year and a half,” she added.

Drew further said, “I will never lose sight of this part of my story and I have seen and been through things and they’ve helped me just recognize in all of us that we go through stuff. And it can’t be embarrassing. It has to be our strengths, it has to be something that we can be proud of because we overcame it and we look back with honor and humor.”

Drew Barrymore opened up on when she was able to overcome alcoholism

The star was never able to fully get rid of alcohol until she went through an “excruciating” divorce from Will Kopelman in 2016. In 2022, Drew recalled that she would use alcohol to “numb the pain” but knew that was not the answer to her woes, PageSix reported. The talk show host decided to finally lay off the booze in 2019 and announced her sobriety in 2021.