Profiles Of Addiction Recovery | Jamie Lee Curtis

Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis struggled with opiate addiction for over 10 years. Her mental health and personal struggles were kept under wraps until recently.

Curtis performed successful, iconic roles in hit Hollywood films such as Halloween, Freaky Friday, and Knives Out. While doing so, she successfully hid her painkiller addiction from public figures and people close to her, including her husband Christopher Guest.

In 2019, Jamie Lee Curtis celebrated 20 years of sobriety from opioid painkillers. According to Curtis, her opioid addiction started in the 1980s and lasted until the 1990s. She has since opened up about her past struggles and emphasized the need for support in battling addiction.

From Surgery To Opioid Addiction

Curtis has told interviewers that her drug addiction started in the 1980s, after a minor plastic surgery. 

She claimed that her surgery had little to no complications, but she was still prescribed the opioid painkiller Vicodin. Her painkiller addiction started after this routine plastic surgery and continued for over 10 years.

Alcohol & Drug Use

Curtis was exposed to drug abuse from a young age. She abused cocaine once with her father, Tony Curtis, and her brother Nicholas died of a heroin overdose when she was 21 years old. Jamie Lee Curtis also drank alcohol heavily in tandem with her painkiller abuse habits.

Hidden From Public View

In interviews, Curtis said that her opioid addiction was carefully managed out of the public eye. She stated she never abused painkillers during working hours. Few people outside of Curtis’ personal life knew about her Vicodin addiction until she discussed it many years later.

Jamie Lee Curtis’ Addiction Recovery

In a 2019 interview with Variety magazine, Curtis said that getting sober from painkillers was her “single greatest accomplishment.” Her road to recovery may have started in the late 1990s, when a family friend confronted her about her Vicodin abuse.

After revealing her Vicodin addiction to her sister Kelly and reading about Vicodin addiction in an Esquire article, Curtis attended her first recovery meeting in 1999. Embracing her need for help and support led Curtis to sobriety.

After her first efforts at getting sober in the late 90s, Curtis has since celebrated over 20 years of sobriety with various news outlets and magazines.

Support From Loved Ones

Jamie Lee Curtis first went to recovery meetings in 1999. While her efforts to attend rehab meetings were successful, Curtis also cites the support of her loved ones and family as key factors in her successful recovery.

Recovery Is Possible

In interviews with Variety, People Magazine, and Oprah Daily, Curtis has emphasized the importance of enduring through difficult addiction treatment programs. 

While admitting you have a problem can be difficult, acceptance and acknowledgement of a drug addiction can be a crucial first step in the recovery process.

To learn how we make recovery possible for both individuals and families, please contact us today.