"That was a pivotal moment in my life": Lucy Hale opens up on struggle with alcoholism in recent podcast

Pretty Little Liars alum, American actress and singer Lucy Hale, recently sat down for an interview with Alex Cooper in her 'Call Her Daddy' podcast to discuss some dark details of her past. On the November 1, 2023 podcast, the actress revealed shocking truths about her battle with alcohol addiction and an eating disorder that had brought life to a complete standstill.

Recounting her darkest days, Lucy Hale said in the interview:

"I don't think anyone on the show knew. That was a pivotal moment in my life."

In Alex Cooper's podcast, the actress went on to discuss how she had hit absolute rock bottom with her alcohol addiction and that she was bound to keep a secret because of the shame and stigma attached to it. The actress also further revealed how her alcohol dependency had started to impact her personal life as well as professional commitments, and that it took her a lot of strength and determination to get sober secretly in rehab.

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Lucy Hale opens up on alcohol dependency from a young age, shame, and drinking to escape

Lucy Hale shockingly revealed that her alcohol addiction had begun at a very young age and that her "very first experience with alcohol was the same as when it ended." The Scream 4 starrer said that she recalls being blacked out at the age of 12.

She said:

"I blacked out at 12 years old. I don't remember what happened, I threw up, I got very sick, and I remember being so distraught when I realized what had happened."

After she had had her very first drink and blacked out because of it, the 34-year old actress remembers clearly how she had experienced immense "shame". She continued to say:

"I remember shame after every experience drinking, because my drinking was never normal...It was very clear I was drinking to escape something, even at a young age."

Soon came the realization that her drinking habits weren't normal and that it required professional intervention to alleviate her addiction and dependency, but it was too late then, she was already addicted, and would continue to depend on alcohol for a long time. The actress also mentioned in the podcast that she had felt that she had resorted to drinking as an "escape" from a very "young age".

As Lucy narrated her journey to sobriety, it became clear that the journey was far from easy, and definitely not straightforward. In her meandering move towards sobriety, Hale confessed that she had tried a number of things to get better.

She said:

"I had tried so many different things: rehab, out-patient, in-patient, trauma center, therapy, medication, you name it."

Hale continued to reflect on how she hadn't realized she had an alcohol addiction until she was in her 20s which only exacerbated her shame and silence around her "problem" even when she was surrounded by her fellow actors on the set of Pretty Little Liars.

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"It got really dark": Lucy Hale recounts horrors of being under the influence of alcohol

Lucy Hale revealed the full extent of the consequences she had to endure as a result of her alcohol addiction. She had been reliant on cocaine and had been taken advantage of sexually while she was in one of her drunken stupors.

Recalling those dark times, the Puppy Love actress confessed:

"It got really dark. I was very sad. I was very scared."

In the podcast, Lucy Hale spoke about how her addiction had fuelled her eating disorder as well, highlighting the significance of seeking help during times of personal crisis.

Hale finally got sober in 2021 and acknowledged her indebtedness to the covid pandemic because it compelled her to stay in for the medical treatments. Finally, she ended the discussion on her struggle for sobriety by saying that staying sober is the "best" thing she did for herself although it wasn't "easy".