Eliza Dushku Reveals Battle With Drugs And Alcohol After Eight Years Of Sobriety

Eliza Dushku got super candid and revealed the depths of her drug and alcohol addiction for the first time to a public audience. The actress has always been transparent about her sobriety but has not openly spoken about why she discontinued her past harmful behaviors. On Tuesday, the Bring It On star opened up about her past addictions in a genuine effort to warn a group of young people at the Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness in New Hampshire, New England.

“Something a lot of people don’t know about me is that I am an alcoholic and I was a drug addict for a lot of years… You hear people say ‘I am that’ because I am that and I’m always going to be that but the difference between me an alcoholic of drug addict that still drinks and does drugs is that I am sober.”

Eliza was invited to speak the event at the request of Mark Wahlberg’s brother, Jim. The Buffy actress revealed to the 8,000 middle and high school students that she is both a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, according to Us Weekly.

Dushku is said in her speech as recorded by WMUR, to have first started using drugs at the age of 14. Eliza disclosed to thousands of students the monumental grip drugs had on her life.

“I loved the first time I took a drug because I loved how it made me feel, I loved the way it made me not feel and I didn’t have to feel. It was fun and I loved it until it wasn’t… Drugs didn’t love me, they didn’t love my family. They definitely didn’t love my friends that died, I have a lot of friends that are dead.”

Eliza has been sober for eight years. At one point, Eliza opened up to the students and said her problem with drugs got so bad that her family banned her from seeing her niece, Sofia. The actress told the Summit that her brother was correct in limiting her contact with her niece.

“I’m a good person but when I did drugs and I drank, I didn’t make good decisions… And all it takes is one bad decision.”

Eliza said it was her family that motivated her to get sober. The actress said she was depressed and not feeling well about herself even though she loved her family. However, the ultimate reason she maintains her sobriety is for herself.

“I got sober at first for my family because I had gotten to a point where I felt so sick about myself, I was depressed I didn’t like myself but I love my family… I got sober for my family, but today I’m sober for me, and I’m sober for you. Drugs and alcohol are powerful, but we are more powerful.”

The actress confessed that when her father Phillip’s pills fell on the ground (Eliza’s dad was dying from cancer at the time) — she almost relapsed. Now that she is sober, Dushku said she has a better connection with those closest to her and truly loves her drug free life. The actress has also decided to go back to college.

The event also featured a speech from U.S. Attorney General, Jeff Sessions.

"Buffy" star Eliza Dushku opens up about past drug abuse https://t.co/xWGJgvgCHS pic.twitter.com/rEOm0Dg6YT

— HuffPost (@HuffPost) March 10, 2017

More than 400 people have died in 2015 as a result of opioid overdose in New Hampshire. This is an increase of 2.5 times over 2011. The epidemic is partially due to over-prescription of opioids. It has been reported that 80 percent of recent heroin users started with opioid analgesics, according to data contained in a 2016 New Hampshire government report.

There is a current influx of nostalgic television revivals, such as Fuller House and Gilmore Girls — so, it was only natural that the idea of a possible Buffy revival was brought to the table. The show starred Michelle Trachtenberg, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Charisma Carpenter. Eliza spoke of the series to the Hollywood Reporter and said she wouldn’t bring her character, Faith, back to life on the big screen anytime soon.

“Let’s leave it alone. This show still plays and works for people… In the finale, the power was turned over to every girl in the world, to become slayers. That’s the revival we need and we’re already seeing today.”

[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]