Drew Barrymore on her past drug addiction: 'My midlife crisis was at 14'

Drew Barrymore. Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Drew Barrymore. Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Published Sep 14, 2018

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Drew Barrymore says cocaine is her "worst nightmare right now", after having entered rehab for addiction aged just 14.

The 43-year-old actress infamously went to rehab for addiction after succumbing to the pressures of being a child star, and whilst she said she would never return to drugs, she does admit she still likes to "drink and enjoy life".

When asked if she misses cocaine, she said: "No. Oh god, I mean, it's been a very long time, but no. Nothing would make me have a panic attack and seem like a bigger nightmare. I never did hallucinogenics ... but I drink and I enjoy my life and get out of my own head. It's not like I'm this militant person of clarity and presence but [cocaine] literally seems like my worst nightmare right now.

"I've never done heroin, so I don't know what that's like, but I think I liked to feel good, I'm an upper person. You know, I'm like 'Woo hoo!' I also didn't want to be like, 'Man I see sh**.' Again, I'd be like [freaks out]. I will not drink my drink at a bar that has not been in my, like, line of vision, or, like, the side cornea."

Despite facing pressure and addiction at such a young age, the '50 First Dates' star believes her past has allowed her to get her "s**t over with" at a young age so she can focus on being an adult now.

She said: "It really is a recipe for disaster. But you know what's exciting? I got my s**t over with at, like, 14 - like, midlife crisis, you know, institutionalised, blacklisted, no family, like, got it done - and then got into the cycle of being my own parent, figuring it out."

The 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' star also touched on her relationship with her mother Jaid - whom she was emancipated from at age 14 - and said the pair were more like "best friends" than mother and daughter.

Speaking to Norm MacDonald on Netflix's 'Norm MacDonald Has a Show', Drew - who now has two children of her own, five-year-old Olive and four-year-old Frankie - said: "I had a mom, but she was more like my best friend. She was like, 'Do you want to go to school and get bullied all day, or do you want to go to Studio 54?' And I was like, 'Yes, absolutely! I don't want to spend the day with these little f***ers who are just awful.' Kids are so mean.

"I really wasn't raised around kids, and I didn't have grandparents, so young people and old people, I was very weird around. I didn't know what bracket of age I belonged in, but I was much happier at the clubs."

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