Last week, Drew Barrymore shared with the Los Angeles Times that her therapist Barry Michels quit treating her due to her drinking.
Barrymore revealed:
"[Michels] just said, 'I can't do this anymore."
"It was really about my drinking. I said, 'I get it. I've never respected you more.'"
"You see I'm not getting better. And I hope, one day, that I can earn your trust back."
Barrymore previously told PEOPLE that the time following her 2016 divorce from art advisor Will Kopelman was "crippling difficult," and she turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism.
"It was just trying to numb the pain and feel good - and alcohol totally did that for me."
"The drinking for me was a constant, like, 'You cannot change. You are weak and incapable of doing what's best for you. You keep thinking you will master this thing, and it's getting the better of you.'"
Michels, a renowned psychoanalyst known for his work with Gwyneth Paltrow and Adam McKay, had been treating Barrymore for a decade but stopped their sessions as her drinking intensified.
Michels told Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday:
"Occasionally a therapist has to suspend treatment until a patient is willing to stop certain chronic self-destructive behaviors that are impeding the therapy."
Some on social media questioned Michel's decision to offer treatment at one of Barrymore's lowest points.
A few defended Michels, claiming the discontinuation was both ethically and professionally sound.
And several applauded Barrymore for her willingness to be transparent about her struggle and expressed their continued support.
Barrymore has been sober since 2019, claiming her kids helped her stop drinking and The Drew Barrymore Show gave her something to focus her attention on, "something to believe in."
After two years apart, Michels and Barrymore resumed sessions.
He shared:
"Fortunately, in this case, I was dealing with Drew Barrymore - one of the strongest and most stalwart people I've ever met."
"She did the right thing for herself, and we were able to resume our treatment together."
That's great to hear - we're all rooting for you!
@LeeMerrittesq/X
@bob_moss/X
@jelanijones/Bluesky
@Aurkayne/X
@sadcommunistdog; @froglok/Bluesky