"I became a walking cautionary tale." Drew Barrymore spoke out about addiction and rehab treatment at age 13

Drew Barrymore spoke to People magazine about her struggles with substance abuse and treatment at rehab at age 13 and said she's glad she became a "walking cautionary tale" for parents. According to her, she is not ashamed of the fact that she told how she started drinking at the age of 10, and using drugs at 12, which is why she ended up in a rehabilitation center for teenagers.

"When I look at it now, I don't see the tragedy. I love that I became a walking cautionary tale," says Drew Barrymore.

According to the 49-year-old actress, her story influenced many parents who thought about raising their children properly. “I feel like it gives me such a nice little badge of merit to be part of this discussion and know how to have these conversations with kids as a parent,” she said. The actress has two daughters: 11-year-old Olive and 10-year-old Frankie.

According to Drew Barrymore, looking back is an "extremely positive" experience because she no longer feels "lost." "It makes me laugh because if you think that was rock bottom, it wasn't," she said, adding that her divorce from third husband Will Kopelman was much more difficult for her. "Going through a divorce with two kids was a much more difficult time for me because suddenly it wasn't about me, it was about my kids." She divorced Kopelman in 2016, and in 2020 she announced that she would never marry again because she was disappointed in family life.

"Even if you feel like you've hit rock bottom or are going through the hardest moment of your life, you might not be. Then something worse might happen, and that's okay." According to the actress, there is not a person in the world who has not found herself in a difficult situation, was not forced to learn a difficult lesson, or has not experienced embarrassment." "We all go through many difficulties in life, and therefore it will be better if we can openly talk about this. I know I feel a lot better if someone shares their story, it makes me feel a lot less alone."