Lucy Hale continues to get candid about her journey to sobriety.
In an interview published with People on Thursday, the actress — who is receiving the 2024 Humanitarian Award from Friendly House, a women’s addiction recovery center — opened up about her struggles with alcohol addiction. Lucy shared that when she was a teenager, she turned to drinking after feeling so “alone and misunderstood” for so many years:
“Since a very young age, I always felt alone and misunderstood. So as a teenager, I found alcohol — which of course shut my brain off. And it worked for me for a while, until it turned really dark.”
Related: Brooke Mueller Is 9 Months Sober After Matthew Perry’s Death
Oof. She was so young! And she had a long ways to go from there before she got clean. The Hating Game star went on to spend all of her 20s battling alcohol dependence. While Lucy “always had a desire to change,” she became “powerless to this obsession” like “with any form of addiction.” She explained to the outlet:
“I definitely had to go through my own process of getting sober. It took many, many, many years, many relapses, many dark moments, many falling on my face quite literally, but figuratively as well to figure out what was working in my life, finding out why I was drinking, because removing alcohol is just one part of it.”
As Lucy dealt with her alcoholism, she was also thrust into the spotlight as she starred in the popular series Pretty Little Liars. Her acting career — especially the show — was the “North Star” that gave her “purpose” during those “dark” times in her life. In fact, Lucy feels it saved her:
“If I’m perfectly honest, without my career and without that creative outlet, I don’t know if I would’ve made it. I think that show and my love of what I do was my North Star truly, it really gave me purpose, and still gives me purpose.”
But at the same time, she was in a vicious cycle of her mental health suffering while “being on” for her job. All of that just “fueled” her alcohol addiction:
“But I was constantly in this cycle of extreme depression and anxiety while having to show up to work and be on. And that ‘being on’ fueled even more drinking… I was caught in this cycle that I couldn’t get out of.”
So awful… Eventually, it took Lucy “hitting rock bottom” at 32 for everything to change. She said:
“I made the choice on the morning of January 2, 2022 that I was going to do everything I could to get sober. I knew if I continued on that path, I would’ve lost everything I cared about. It was the scariest choice in my life, but also it’s been the best gift. When I made that change, everything else changed. My whole life has changed.”
Now, the singer is two years sober. Although her sobriety journey is still “painful and uncomfortable,” those feelings are worth it in the long run for Lucy. She expressed:
“I still have to make the choice every day like, ‘Okay, today I’m staying sober and today I’m choosing me,’ but that goes deeper than just not drinking. My life feels so good now that I wouldn’t give that up for anything.”
Amazing! What’s more, Lucy noted her life feels more “peaceful”:
“My life was always chaotic so my brain chemistry has been recalibrating. What sobriety has taught me is to take things as they come and enjoy every moment of every day. I have big dreams, big aspirations, but where my life is at now is just trying to be as present as possible.”
The road to recovery is so long and difficult. It is great that Lucy is doing so well these days with her sobriety! Reactions? Share ’em in the comments below.
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org
[Image via The Drew Barrymore Show/YouTube]
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