Lena Dunham is celebrating five years of sobriety.
Lena Dunham has the 'tools' in place to stop herself from self-medicating
The 'Girls' creator, who battled a prescription pill addiction, has marked the milestone by sharing her rehabilitation story and admitted she is the "happiest" she's been during her "time on earth so far".
Lena, 36, admitted that her first biggest hurdle was "asking for help".
She began an Instagram post containing various pictures of herself over the years: "5 years ago today, I set foot- trembling like a little kid- into treatment for substance misuse. My parents hugged me goodbye, I changed into house slippers and there I was. The struggle with addiction hit me little by little, then all at once. It’s a cliché for a reason- asking for help was the hardest part (I mean, aside from the other hard parts, but each step from there got easier. And ease was always the goal- ease in my body, ease in my restless mind and the ease to exist in moments of pain, anxiety, and uncertainty without reaching for a solution that seemed to help in the moment but pulled me further away from the people I love and the life that I wanted.)
"The last 5 years have been the happiest of my time on earth so far (at least this time around!) They’ve been full of work, love, complexity and- yes- pain. But facing all of that without medicating myself in unhealthy ways has given me a sturdy baseline and new tools. 5 years ago all of this was impossible to imagine. 5 days was impossible to imagine. 5 minutes sometimes felt hard."
Lena admitted she couldn't have done it without the "medical" and "spiritual" support and resources available to her.
She went on: "I was able to get and stay sober because I had the support and resources to ask for and get incredible help- medical, spiritual. For so many people, the difference between sober and using isn’t their willingness, or their strength- it’s their resources. We don’t have a system that makes this easy for those who are already struggling to make their lives work."
The writer also announced she is matching donations to Friendly House LA, which provides treatment and counselling for women and "gender nonconforming people" seeking recovery from substance use disorder, in honour of her sober birthday.
She said: "So today, on my very lucky sober birthday- and through this week- I will be matching donations to @friendlyhousela, a rehab that doesn’t turn away women and gender nonconforming people for financial reasons. I hope we can band together and give others the gift of that support, so they can celebrate similar days, living in their true strength. Every cent you give will go to helping people deal with addiction and trauma. The link is in my bio."
She wrapped the post: "There are a lot of people who deserve thanks here- I hope I’ve given them enough of that face-to-face, but today is a good reminder to give more. Every day is a lesson I am lucky to learn, and I don’t take it for granted. So especially today, I am grateful."
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