LA Recovery Stories: Jamie Lee Curtis’ Inspiring Story of Overcoming Vicodin Addiction
Jamie Lee Curtis Has Been Sober More Than 20 Years, Hear Her Story of Addiction and Recovery
When you think of Jamie Lee Curtis, what is the first thing that you think of? For most people around the world, Jamie Lee Curtis is viewed as an incredible actress who has starred in countless movies. However, what many people don’t know about Jamie Lee Curtis is that she once suffered from a serious opioid addiction that nearly ruined her entire career.
Today, Jamie Lee Curtis has over 20 years of sobriety under her belt. She has bravely spoken out about not only her addiction to Vicodin but her recovery journey as well, in hopes that she can inspire others to address their addiction and find their own recovery.
How Jamie Lee Curtis Began Using Vicodin
Like so many others, Jamie’s addiction began very innocently. She decided to have plastic surgery because a cameraman had commented that she had puffy eyes. To perfect herself for the Hollywood cameras, she went under the knife and was prescribed Vicodin to ease her pain. Looking back on it, however, Jamie admits that she was prescribed a strong painkiller that she probably did not need. “I was prescribed pain pills for something that really wasn’t painful,” she said.
Jamie Was a High Functioning Addict. What Does That Mean?
Many people mistakenly believe that it’s clear and obvious to everyone when a person is in the midst of active addiction and that there is no way an addict is someone who can take care of life responsibilities. Jamie describes herself as a very controlled addict when it came to both her drug use and alcohol abuse. She would never consume drugs or take a single drink until 5 p.m. She was able to fool everyone in her life including people she worked with during the day because no one ever had any indication that she was hiding a secret opioid addiction.
The Moment She First Realized Her Vicodin Use Had Become a Problem
Jamie had a moment of clarity when a friend who was staying with her walked into her kitchen and saw her swallowing her pills with a glass of wine. She recalls that she felt a tremendous sense of relief because her addiction was something that she hid from everyone. She finally felt like she could move forward in her recovery.
How Jamie Lee Curtis First Opened Up About Addiction and Recovery Publicly, and Why She Did It
Jamie hid her recovery for the better half of two years. During that time, she stated that she was terrified that the tabloids would find out that she was attending local meetings. Finally, she became tired of hiding and came out with her story to Redbook Magazine.
Underlying Factors That Contributed to Lee’s Addiction
Jamie falls into the same category as many other people who struggle with addiction because she had a family history of addiction. Her father had a serious addiction to drugs and alcohol, and her brother passed away from a heroin overdose when he was just 21. Although Jamie was able to identify that her family members had problems with addiction, she could not see it in herself.
Coping Skills Curtis Uses to Support Her Recovery
Jamie has taken conscious steps to maintain her sobriety. If she is staying at a hotel, she requests that the minibar in her room be removed. She faithfully attends 12-step meetings and has even been known to host recovery meetings in her trailer during production to help provide support for herself and others onset that may be working through their own recovery process.
Addiction Treatment at Muse in Los Angeles
Whether you are a growing celebrity or a business professional, the Muse Treatment team in Los Angeles does everything we can to help everyone who enters our doors to overcome their addiction. We work with clients struggling with opioid addiction, alcoholism, many other substance use disorders. We can help you put together a recovery plan that can help you to go on to live a happy, healthy, sober life. For more information, please call us today at (800) 426-1818.
