Does Drew Barrymore drink alcohol?
Drew Barrymore has said she stopped drinking in 2019. She speaks openly about alcohol being a major problem in her life, although she has also explained that she does not like to define herself through a strict sobriety label.
That distinction is part of her story. Barrymore’s focus is less on a label and more on the fact that alcohol repeatedly caused problems she could not successfully control.
Thinking about your own drinking? Start with our guide to quitting drinking without willpower, or go straight to the Stop Drinking Expert programme if you are ready to make a change.
Alcohol became a way to cope after divorce
Barrymore has discussed a difficult period after the end of her marriage to Will Kopelman. During that time, alcohol became a way of numbing pain. The situation became serious enough that people close to her grew worried.
Her therapist eventually told her he could not continue treating her unless she stopped drinking, and friends also pushed her to face what was happening. Barrymore has said she still needed the final decision to feel like her own.
The talk show became a turning point
In 2019 Barrymore was preparing for the opportunity that became The Drew Barrymore Show. She has said the responsibility made her realise she needed a clear head. She quit drinking after filming the pilot that August.
The decision gave her evidence that she could change something she had spent years believing she would eventually learn to control. In later interviews, she described tracing many of her worst experiences back to alcohol.
A 2026 reminder of the early days
In 2026 Barrymore was reunited on her show with a flight attendant who had comforted her during a difficult flight in the early period of her sobriety. The reunion brought back how raw that period had been and how much emotional pain sat underneath the drinking.
Barrymore again described alcohol as a serious issue in her life and spoke about the freedom she found in giving it up. The moment made an old recovery story current again rather than leaving it fixed in 2019.
Drew Barrymore’s alcohol timeline
- Childhood: Barrymore’s well-documented early years include treatment for substance problems while she was still very young.
- Adulthood: Alcohol later becomes a significant coping mechanism, particularly during painful periods in her personal life.
- 2019: She stops drinking as she prepares to take on The Drew Barrymore Show.
- 2023 onward: Barrymore speaks more directly about alcohol as a problem she could not make work in her life.
- 2026: A reunion with a flight attendant who comforted her during early sobriety brings the emotional reality of that period back into public view.
Barrymore has resisted turning recovery into a neat label. She talks instead about consequences: drinking made painful periods worse, people close to her became concerned, and repeated attempts to fit alcohol into her life did not produce the relationship with it she wanted.
That can be a useful way to look at drinking without getting stuck on terminology. A person does not have to win an argument over whether they are “an alcoholic” before deciding that alcohol is costing more than it gives. Barrymore’s decision in 2019 was ultimately about creating enough stability to take on work, parenting and her own mental health with a clear head.
What makes her story useful
Barrymore’s recovery story is messy in a very human way. She had been through treatment when she was young, had periods where alcohol seemed manageable and later found herself using it heavily again. Her eventual change came after years of trying to make alcohol fit into her life.
For anyone stuck in the same cycle, there can be value in asking a simpler question: does alcohol make life better or harder? If you want to act on the answer, read how to quit drinking without relying on willpower, or look at quitting without AA if that is a better fit for you.
Want to read more recovery stories? Browse our celebrity sobriety stories hub for more famous people who have spoken about alcohol, drugs, relapse and recovery.
Want help stopping drinking? Read our Stop Drinking Expert review first, or use the programme link below when you are ready to start.
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