When reflecting on her sobriety journey, the 36-year-old 'Girls' alum shares photos of herself throughout the years and gushes, 'The last 5 years have been the happiest of my time on earth so far.'
- Apr 11, 2023
AceShowbiz - Lena Dunham has celebrated five years of sobriety. To mark the special milestone, the former "Girls" star shared a reflective post on Instagram, declaring that she's "grateful" for who she is today.
Sharing some photos of herself, the 36-year-old began, "5 years ago today, I set foot- trembling like a little kid- into treatment for substance misuse." She added, "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 cliche 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," she added. "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," writer/diector further noted. "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 went on to reveal, "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." She then explained, "We don't have a system that makes this easy for those who are already struggling to make their lives work."
"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," the New York native elaborated. "Every cent you give will go to helping people people deal with addiction and trauma. The link is in my bio."
Lena then concluded her 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."
