Photo: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty, Tibrina Hobson/Getty
Drew Barrymore’s issues with alcohol were tough on her and her loved ones includingCameron Diaz.
Barrymore, 48, opened up aboutturning to alcoholafter her2016 divorce from Will Kopelmanin an interview withThe Los Angeles Timespublished on Sunday.
Diaz, 50, also spoke with the outlet and shared that Barrymore’s journey was “difficult to watch.”
The two actresses' friendship began when a then 14-year-old Barrymore worked at a coffee shop that Diaz visited.
Drew Barrymore/Instagram
Diaz added toThe Timesthat she had “faith” Barrymore would work through her issues.
“But I knew that if we all stuck with her and gave her the support she needed, she would find her way,” she said. “I have absolute faith in her.
“You can’t even comprehend how hard it was to be her as a child, and then she shot out the other end with the ability to save herself.”
TheNever Been Kissedactress toldThe Timesthe situation spiraled so much that her therapist and renowned celebrity psychoanalyst Barry Michelsended their relationshipafter working with each other for a decade.
“He just said, ‘I can’t do this anymore,'” Barrymore told the outlet. “It was really about my drinking. I said, ‘I get it. I’ve never respected you more. You see I’m not getting better. And I hope, one day, that I can earn your trust back.’ "
Barrymore said despite an intervention from her friends, a turning point came when she was offered her own daytime talk show,The Drew Barrymore Showin 2019.
“I think the opportunity at a show like this really hit me,” she said. “I was like, ‘I can’t handle this unless I’m in a really clear place.’ "
RELATED VIDEO: Selma Blair Celebrates Two Years of Sobriety, Recalls Her ‘Lowest Points’: ‘I Am a Living Miracle’
So, two years after her therapist quit, she reached back out to him and he decided to work with her again. She said she was finally capable of changing and realized that she needed to root for herself the same way she did for everyone else.
Barrymore told the outlet that she’s experimented with different levels of sobriety over the years and does not describe herself as sober now.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The star reflected on the “dark place” she’s been in the past and how now she’s focused on being a mother to daughtersOlive, 10, andFrankie, 8, which she calls “the role of my life.”
“I realized that just with me and my girls, I am truly happy,” she said. “I’d always thought I’d be on this hamster wheel for this whole life. But maybe there will be something different before the lights go out.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
source: people.com
