Although she struggled with various addictions, she described her dependence on marijuana as her “biggest obsession.” While trapped in the cycle of substance abuse, the actress made countless excuses, telling herself it could be worse.
However, at times, her addiction could reach such worrying levels that she wouldn’t get out of bed and just want to hide from the world.
The actress photographed at Brighton Hall on May 21, 2013, in North Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images
The child star’s battle with addiction was compounded by an eating disorder that had affected her since childhood. Her dependence on marijuana only made this struggle worse, as she couldn’t eat without smoking first.
If she couldn’t smoke, she would sometimes go days without eating, a reality she called “very, very dangerous.” Her addiction didn’t only impact her health but began to impact her relationships, especially with her mother, whom she described as her best friend.
Substances had become her closest companion, pulling her away from those around her. “When I realized it started to affect my relationship with not only my friends but specifically my relationship with my mom, that’s when I knew I had to make a change,” the “Desperate Housewives” star revealed.
She committed to recovery and, at 248 days sober, described life as “lighter and more colorful” than it had ever been. The actress noted, “Things are easier,” recounting a trip to New York where, for the first time, she wasn’t held back by dependency.
She said, “I wasn’t panicking because I was tied down to a substance. I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh, what if I can’t use this? What if I don’t have my crutch?'”
Now free from those concerns, the child star helped others facing similar struggles and found strength in leading by example. She shared, “I have a lot of friends who looked to me and said, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go get help, because I saw that you got help, and it changed your life.'”