Drew Barrymore calls the years following her divorce with Will Kopelman 'cripplingly difficult'

American actress-director Drew Barrymore, who made her acting debut in 'Altered States' in 1980, recently opened up about her struggles with alcohol addiction and how she embarked on her journey of sobriety after her divorce from art advisor Will Kopelman in 2016.

Speaking to People, the actress revealed that her divorce was not followed by any "scandal" and "nothing went wrong" which made it harder and more confusing for her because she didn't have "the thing" to point fingers at.

She said, "We tried so hard to make it work. [A friend] said to me, 'Divorce is the death of a dream.' That's exactly what it feels like, something so final you can't get it back."

Since she didn't grow up with a family, she vowed her kids would. "I know what that feels like," she said. "If I haven't learned from that, then what was it all for?"

Laying the terms, she added, "This is a family, so nobody's going anywhere.I was determined to make it work because we all loved each other so much."

Calling the years following her divorce "cripplingly difficult", the actress said, "It just took me down. There are times when you can look at someone you think is a strong person and see them so broken and go, 'How the f--- did they get there?' And I was that person. I broke."

To get rid of the pain of separation, she relied on alcohol, which helped her "numb her pain". Seeing herself fall, once again, into the trap of addiction, she reminded herself of the promise she made to her kids and the life she promised them.

She shared, "After the life, I planned for my kids didn't work out — I almost think that was harder than the stuff [I went through] as a kid. It felt a lot more real because it wasn't just me. It was about these kids that I cared so much about. And then I probably cared so much that I was only giving to them and not taking care of myself. It was a messy, painful, excruciating walk through the fire and come back to life kind of trajectory."

After going to therapy and making positive lifestyle changes, she battled the addiction and got sober. Also, developing a show gave her "something to focus on" and pour herself into.

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