Jamie Lee Curtis Reveals How Her Sister Helped Her Overcome A Secret Opioid Addiction—And Possibly Saved Her Life

Jamie Lee Curtis was reportedly addicted to opiods for ten years--a secret she managed to keep from her entire family. That is, until her sister stepped in and saved her from herself.

Nobody knew that Curtis was addicted to opiods, including the public and her husband:

Jamie Lee Curtis reveals new details of former opioid addiction www.youtube.com

According to People, Curtis became addicted to Vicodin in 1989 after minor plastic surgery.

"I had a 10-year run, stealing, conniving. No one knew," Curtis said. And until she was forced to confess to her older sister in 1998, it remained a secret.

"I knew she had them in her suitcase in our guest room closet," she said. "I basically took all her opiates. When she was leaving I knew she would pack her suitcase and find her pills missing. I knew I had to acknowledge to her what I had done, and so I wrote her a note and left it on her suitcase. I came home that day, and she put her arms around me and told me she loved me and she was concerned about me and she was unwilling to watch me kill myself."

Curtis says it was a surprise to her that her sister reacted with such love and support.

"The shame involved with it is tremendous. I have worked very hard to remove the shame of it and just acknowledge I'm human."

Curtis' first recovery meeting came after she found an article in Esquire by writer Tom Chiarella titled "Vicodin, My Vicodin". Since that meeting on February 3rd, 1999, she has been sober.

Twenty years later, Curtis still attends sobriety meetings. "In recovery meetings, anyone who brings up opiates, the entire room will turn and look at me, because I'll be like, 'Oh, here, talk to me. I'm the opiate girl.'"

"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."

We hope this courageous act inspires any reader struggling with addiction to reach out and find help.

H/T: People, Twitter