Jamie Lee Curtis Opens Up About Getting Sober & Breaking Generational Cycle Of Addiction

Aug 11, 2023

Contrary to popular belief, people living in the public eye, in most cases, celebrities and personalities, aren’t actually free from temptations and vices. Like normal people, the actors and actresses we watch on TV who make us laugh, cry, and feel all the emotions out there, are also experiencing sadness, guilt, shame, and even helplessness from time to time. 

While some people tend to rely on dangerous substances and vices to relieve their helplessness and sorrow, many celebrities, such as Jamie Lee Curtis, succumbed to addiction to dangerous substances as an effect of consuming large volumes of it to recover from an injury that has dealt them a great amount of pain. 

Jamie Lee, now 64, had gained a lot of attention after her outstanding performance as a possessed IRS collector in the 2022 film “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” leading to her Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress at the 2023 Academy Awards. Many would probably know Jamie Lee for her iconic performances in various films like “Freaky Friday,” “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” and, more recently, “Knives Out.” She is a recipient of a Golden Globe Award, People’s Choice Award, a BAFTA, and even a Primetime Emmy Award for her roles. 

Jamie Lee has been vocal about her past addiction troubles and isn’t afraid to admit to her failings and regrets. She has counted herself lucky for having managed to get her life on track and leave her debilitating habits behind. Read on to learn more about what Jamie Lee has to say about how she now views her struggles and why she feels incredibly blessed for having avoided the dangerous pitfalls of addiction. 

Born on Nov. 22, 1958, in Los Angeles, California, Jamie Lee emerged from an illustrious lineage, being the daughter of Hollywood legends Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. However, she was not content to rest on her family's laurels; she carved her own indelible path in the world of entertainment, leaving an indomitable mark as an actress, author, and activist.

Jamie Lee's journey into acting was marked by a resounding debut in the 1978 horror classic, "Halloween." Her portrayal of Laurie Strode, a young woman battling a relentless psychopath, catapulted her to instant stardom and etched her name into the annals of the horror genre. What followed was a series of iconic roles that solidified her status as a versatile actress capable of seamlessly transitioning between genres.

Jamie Lee’s influence extended far beyond the silver screen. She harnessed her celebrity status to advocate for various causes. With unapologetic candor, she championed issues like body positivity and self-acceptance. Her own struggles with body image and addiction paved the way for her to become an inspiring figure for those grappling with similar challenges. 

According to People Magazine, the actress was prescribed opiates for the first time in 1989 after undergoing minor plastic surgery for her “hereditary puffy eyes.” After this, she became addicted to getting painkillers. The magazine even noted that she would even steal pills from her friends and family just to suffice her need too. 

“I was ahead of the curve of the opiate epidemic,” Jamie Lee admitted at the time. “I had a 10-year run, stealing, conniving. No one knew. No one.”

A 2009 article from Reader’s Digest even revealed that the “Scream Queens” star was also a recovering alcoholic, apart from being addicted to painkillers.

During a Variety’s Actors on Actors conversation between Jamie Lee and fellow actor Colin Farrell, the conversation turned toward their past struggles with addiction. 

“Being sober is going to be a legacy, for sure. Because I’m stopping what has been a generational issue in my biological family. It’ll be the single greatest thing I do, if I can stay sober. Because generations of people have had their lives ruled and ruined by alcoholism and drug addiction. For me, sobriety first. Always,” Jamie Lee eloquently said. 

Per Variety, the struggle with alcohol and dangerous substances ran in Jamie Lee’s family as her father, Tony, became addicted, and her brother, Nicholas Curtis, died after an overdose. Jamie Lee recounted a single night in 1998 when her addiction came to light after a friend caught her swallowing five Vicodin pills at one time with some wine.

“I heard this voice: ‘You know, Jamie, I see you. I see you with your little pills, and you think you’re so fabulous and so great, but the truth is you’re dead. You’re a dead woman,’” Jamie Lee said. “The jig was up. Now I knew someone knew. I had been nursing a secret Vicodin addiction for a very long time — over 10 years.”

However, it would take a year for her to finally see the light and begin attending recovery meetings after reading an illuminating article on addiction. Since then, the star has remained committed to staying sober. Now, Jamie Lee wears her sobriety like a badge of honor.

“I bring sobriety with me. I have attended recovery meetings all over this world,” she told the outlet. “I am a very careful sober person. When I work, if there are no recovery meetings available, I make them.”

Jamie Lee opened up about her addiction to MSNBC Morning’s host, Joe Scarborough. She told him at the peak of her addiction, her "worst day was almost invisible to anyone else."

She added she felt “incredibly lucky” as she “didn't make terrible decisions high or under the influence that then, for the rest of my life, I regret. There are women in prison whose lives have been shattered by drugs and alcohol, not because they were violent felons, not because they were horrible people, but because they were addicts.”

She had no qualms about admitting to her past mistakes.

“I was an opiate addict, and I liked a good opiate buzz. And if fentanyl was available, as easily available as it is today on the street, I'd be dead. Sobriety just made it all crystal and clear,” she said.

Jamie Lee also touched on how addiction ran in her family and the generational trauma she had to acknowledge, address and overcome. “I've seen it in my own family. My brother, at 21, is dead from a heroin overdose — once he was clean and sober, and he went out and used one time,” she divulged. 

Jamie Lee has also expressed her gratitude for being able to overcome her addiction, saying she was “breaking the cycle that has basically destroyed the lives of generations in my family.” She added, “Getting sober remains my single greatest accomplishment… bigger than my husband, bigger than both of my children and bigger than any work, success, failure. Anything.”

She also once said:

“My sobriety has been the key to freedom, the freedom to be me, to not be looking in the mirror in the reflection and trying to see somebody else. I look in the mirror. I see myself. I accept myself.”

What are your thoughts on Jamie Lee Curtis’ addiction struggles? Are you glad she managed to overcome them? Let us know and don’t forget to pass this along to all your friends and family who are fans of hers too!