Supermodel Cara Delevingne has opened up about checking herself into rehab amid concerns she would have 'ended up dead'.
The Suicide Squad actor felt she was in a 'bad' place following a series of 'concerning' paparazzi photos that had been circulating online.
Eventually, the 30-year-old decided to undergo long-term treatment for substance abuse issues, which involved a special 12-step programme.
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She recently celebrated her first sober Christmas and New Year with girlfriend Leah Mason.
Opening up on what might have happened without treatment, Delevingne told Vogue that she was aware of the 'nature of' addiction.
“At that point, there was a lot of people who were very worried, understandably so,” she said of the paparazzi photos.
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“But I wasn’t really worried, though...but that is the nature of the disease.
“That is what addiction is.”
She also acknowledged how quickly things could spiral out of control, adding: “All I knew is if I was continuing to go down the road I was, I would either end up dead or, like, doing something really, really stupid.
“That was scary. … Treatment was the best thing. It was always something I was very scared of, but I think I needed that community. I needed that support group.”
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“Before I was always into the quick fix of healing, going to a weeklong retreat or to a course for trauma, say, and that helped for a minute, but it didn't ever really get to the nitty-gritty, the deeper stuff," she explained. “This time I realized that 12-step treatment was the best thing, and it was about not being ashamed of that. The community made a huge difference.
“The opposite of addiction is connection, and I really found that in 12-step.”
Now fully sober, the model is enjoying her new walk of life.
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“It’s one of my favorite things to, like, go out and dance and have a good time but actually have, like, deep conversations and connections with people,” she said.
“This process obviously has its ups and downs, but I’ve started realizing so much.
“People want my story to be this after-school special where I just say, ‘Oh, look, I was an addict, and now I’m sober and that’s it.’ And it’s not as simple as that. It doesn’t happen overnight.
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“Of course I want things to be instant — I think this generation especially, we want things to happen quickly — but I’ve had to dig deeper.”
If you've been affected by the contents of this article and are looking for confidential and anonymous information related to drug addiction treatment you can call American Addiction Centers on 405-251-8425 available 24 hours seven days-a-week.
Anish Vij