A High Profile Life
Drew Barrymore is best-known as an actress, although she is also an acclaimed director, producer and screenwriter. She became a professional actress at an early age, and developed a dependency to various drugs and entered a drug rehabilitation program while still in her teens.
Barrymore successfully made the transition from child acting to adult roles, a rare feat in Hollywood. She is now one of Hollywood’s most bankable film actresses.
Early Career
Barrymore’s first appearance on film was in a commercial at the age of 11 months. Her film debut was a small part in Altered States at the age of four years. Barrymore’s breakout role was in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial at the age of seven years.
She played the lead role in Firestarter when she was nine, and solid performances in Irreconcilable Differences and Cat’s Eye made her status as one of the most recognizable child stars in the world.
First Rehab
Barrymore’s problems with drugs began at the age of nine years when her mother, Ildiko Jaid, began taking her to Hollywood parties. She had her first drink when she was nine years old and started smoking pot at 10. She was snorting cocaine by the time she was 12, when her mother entered her into a rehab program at ASAP Family Treatment Center. This private hospital specializes in rehab programs for younger, wealthy clients.
Barrymore stayed in this rehab program for 12 days until she left to film the thriller Far from Home, in which she had a starring role. She started using cocaine again after 85 days of sobriety and stole her mother’s credit card. Barrymore flew from New York to Los Angeles, and her mother hired private detectives to bring her back to New York.
Second Rehab
Barrymore cut her wrists with a kitchen knife when she was 14 and returned to rehab for three months. She then lived with musician David Crosby and Jan Dance for three months, both of whom are survivors of drug abuse. Barrymore says that she has not relapsed since then.
Success After Recovery
Barrymore worked in mostly forgettable films from 1989 until 1995, although she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her starring role in the 1992 comedy/drama Guncrazy.
Her first notable film after her recovery was the 1995 comedy/drama Boys on the Side, which was followed by romantic comedies such as Wishful Thinking, The Wedding Singer and Home Fries. The major feature film Charlie’s Angels in 2000 and its 2003 sequel Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle have secured her position as a major film star.
Finding Help
It’s never too late to find help. Even if you have been using for a decade, like Jackson, you can enter a rehab program that changes your behavior. Contact our counselors today at 1 (850) 564-7057 to learn more.