Drew Barrymore says going to rehab at age 14 was ‘the best thing that ever happened to me’

Drew Barrymore has opened up about entering rehab at the age of 14 and undergoing treatment for about two years.

Barrymore, 50, spoke about her experience in rehab during a conversation with Mae Martin on The Drew Barrymore Show on Friday, October 24th. Martin, 38, created, co-wrote and starred in Netflix’s mystery series Wayward, which follows a local police officer’s investigation into a local school for troubled teens in an isolated small town.

The show was loosely based on Martin’s own experiences, as he recalled on Barrymore’s daytime talk show that a childhood friend of his was in a similar institution for two years as a teenager. After Martin, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, spoke about his experiences with childhood friends, Barrymore detailed her time in rehab.

“I was the same person who was taken away and held captive for two years,” Barrymore began.

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

Barrymore praised the show’s nuanced nature as it explores the troubled teen industry.

“My experience at the facility was very lighthearted, and that’s a lot of what this show is about. I know it sounds rough, but it was like an encouragement to speak your truth, to be courageous, to find humor and heroism in your journey. And it was honestly the best thing that ever happened to me,” Barrymore said. “And I hold a lot of that sacred stuff. But it hasn’t been easy. It’s been hard as hell.”

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

“And we don’t know you,” they said. “But now that I’m an adult, I feel like I’m very protective of young people, and I’ve had the experience of being pathologically diagnosed with certain things at a very young age…Yeah, I think it all went into that.”

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In a 2015 interview with the Guardian, Barrymore revealed that she spent 18 months in rehab at the age of 13 for drug and alcohol addiction. She told the media at the time that her younger self was “really lonely.” “And it was… I felt terrible. It was a really rebellious period. I would run away. I was very, very angry.”

“Wayward” is available on Netflix.

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