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Topics: Celebrity
Gregory Robinson
Drew Barrymore has revealed her therapist quit because of her drinking habits.
Back when the actor and TV host divorced art advisor Will Kopelman in 2016, she admitted to struggling with alcohol.
The 48-year-old shares two daughters with her ex-husband, who were two and three years old at the time of the split. The star has previously described the end of her marriage as ‘cripplingly difficult’ in a People magazine interview and said she tried to ’numb the pain and feel good’ by turning to alcohol.
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This had an effect on her personal relationships and friendships as well as her therapist of 10 years, Barry Michels, who quit due to her drinking.
“He just said, ‘I can’t do this anymore,” Barrymore recalled of her conversation with Michels. “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,” she told The Los Angeles Times.
Barrymore moved from Los Angeles to New York amid the separation to be closer to Kopelman’s family. The move and feeling like she let down her daughters Olive, 10 and Frankie, eight, caused her depression and drinking to get worse.
The Charlie’s Angels star’s longtime friend Cameron Diaz told the publication that it was ‘difficult to watch’ her pal go through such a dark period.
"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."
Barrymore continued to struggle until 2019 when the ‘opportunity’ came about for her hit daytime talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show , which has been nominated for an Emmy.
"I think the opportunity at a show like this really hit me," she shared. "I was like, 'I can't handle this unless I'm in a really clear place'."
Two years after Michels quit, the Scream star reached out to him and the two began working together again.
Barrymore said she broke down when her two daughters left for summer camp last year and contacted Michels.
The Primetime Emmy Award winner explained she’s now happy with where her life’s at.
“My worth has been so wrapped up in this job and this life, because it’s given me so much,” she shared. “I realised that just with me and my girls, I am truly happy. 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.”
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support