Drew Barrymore calls going to rehab at 14 ‘best thing that ever happened to me’

Drew Barrymore opens up about going into one rehabilitation facility at the age of 14where she was treated for almost two years.

Barrymore, 50, talked about her experience in rehab during a conversation with There is Martin on The Drew Barrymore Show Friday, October 24. Martin, 38, created, co-wrote and co-stars Willfula Netflix mystery series that follows a local policeman’s investigation of a local school for troubled teenagers in an isolated small town.

The show is loosely based on Martin’s own experiences, as they recalled on Barrymore’s daytime talk show that their childhood friend had entered a similar facility for two years as a teenager. After Martin, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, discussed her childhood friend’s experience, Barrymore opened up about her own time in rehab.

“I was also someone who was removed and put in place for two years,” Barrymore began.

“I didn’t know that. I mean, I knew you were a wayward teenager, like me. I was in rehab and stuff, but I didn’t know you were in one of those places,” Martin replied.

Barrymore complimented the nuanced nature of the show’s exploration of the troubled teen industry.

“I had a lot of ease in my experience at the institution. That’s a lot of what this show is. I know it sounds wild, but it was like an encouragement to speak your truth, to be brave, to find humor and heroism in your journey. And that’s the best thing that ever happened to me, honestly,” Barrymore said. “And I like the Saint a lot. But it wasn’t easy. It was hard as hell.”

Martin said they were 16 when they entered their respective treatment facilities.

“And I don’t know about you,” they said, “but now, as an adult, I feel so protective of young people and having had that experience of being pathologized at a very young age for things that are just kind of… well, I think everything went into it.”

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In a 2015 interview with The GuardianBarrymore revealed that she underwent an 18-month stay in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility when she was 13 years old. She told the outlet that her younger self was “really alone” at the time “and it felt… awful. It was a really rebellious time. I would run away. I was very, very angry.”

Willful now streaming on Netflix.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact SAMHSA’s Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.