It's a big year for Lena Dunham. This outspoken actress has moved to the UK, filmed a project in secret, and launched her own clothing line. She's also been dealing with a pretty major private struggle.
For a while now Lena's been recovering from the addiction that landed her at an in-patient rehab facility. That happened in 2018 thanks to a bad relationship with prescription medication.
Lena is no longer in "the center of the storm" (as she puts it) so can now reflect on how far she's really come. Here's what she has to say:
She's Three Years Clean
"So, I’m 3 years sober today," begins Lena's latest essay of an IG caption. She goes on to explain that for some reason, three was the golden number she was hoping to reach when she started her journey toward better health.
"From the moment I began this trip (sobriety is a trippy trip, that’s for sure) I was focused on 3 years," she shares, "as if it were this magic train that would somehow have carried me far enough..."
She Shared Picture Proof of Her Low Point
On the second slide of this IG post fans can peep Lena in what she calls a "bad me, sad me" state.
The actress is open about not looking her best when she was feeling her worst:
"No I don’t look great (I guess you don’t really focus on exfoliation when you’re trying to save your own life?) but I do look like I’m trying pretty hard with that forced lil smile- trying at something like joy."
She Wants Addicts to Find Hope
Lena is more open minded about addiction than ever. While she once called addicts "depraved lunatics who wandered the streets, demanding crack from innocent children" (oof) she now believes addiction can happen to anyone.
"If you are caught in a cycle of pain and shame around addiction, you are so far from alone," her caption reads. "There are so many recovering addicts who want and NEED to connect with you and who will hold it down for you no matter what."
Addiction is actually an issue for more people than ever. National lockdowns and the stress of the past year have led to a whole lot of problems with addictive behavior worldwide. If this issue impacts you, these orgs (and Lena!) might have useful advice.