Drew Barrymore Opened Up About The Trauma She Experienced While Being A “Blackout Drinker”

This post deals with topics like alcohol abuse. 

Drew Barrymore has been extremely open with her fans over the years. Whether it be addiction, mental health, or past relationships, no topic is off-limits.

And on the Sept. 10 episode of her talk show, she opened up about her past experiences as a “blackout drinker.”

While talking to Zoë Kravitz about her directorial debut Blink Twice, Drew shared how the film “really affected me personally.”

“There’s a lot about substances in the film. I was shocked to realize that part of my journey that I was looking to find, the trauma inside of me and what is it about, a big part of it was I used to be a blackout drinker,” she continued.

She tearfully added that watching this movie “was an extraordinary journey for me to forgive myself, 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 said.

When speaking about the movie to Zoë, Drew said, “It is not only a film about the things that can happen to us, but it made me think about the things we’ve done to ourselves.”

And then, Drew asked if Zoë was aware of this perspective. Zoë said, “The substances were, I think, more of a way to get the characters to the most vulnerable place possible. When you let yourself go and you lose yourself, it’s so easy for things to spiral out of control.”

Watch the full clip here.

Blink Twice is in theaters now.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and find more resources here.