For , it took hitting “rock bottom” to give up drinking.
“I made the choice on the morning of January 2, 2022, that I was going to do everything I could to get sober,” the Pretty Little Liars alum, 35, told People in an interview published on Friday, September 13. “I knew if I continued on that path, I would’ve lost everything I cared about. It was the scariest choice in my life, but also it’s been the best gift. When I made that change, everything else changed. My whole life has changed.”
Hale was 32 at the time and first began drinking at the age of 18.
“Since a very young age, I always felt alone and misunderstood,” she said. “So as a teenager, I found alcohol — which of course shut my brain off. And it worked for me for a while, until it turned really dark.”
According to the actress, she felt “powerless to this obsession” despite a willingness to stop drinking.
“I definitely had to go through my own process of getting sober,” she told the outlet. “It took many, many, many years, many relapses, many dark moments, many falling on my face quite literally, but figuratively as well, to figure out what was working in my life, finding out why I was drinking, because removing alcohol is just one part of it.”
Once Hale decided to get sober, it was her career that kept her on that path.
“If I’m perfectly honest, without my career and without that creative outlet, I don’t know if I would’ve made it,” Hale told People. “I think [Pretty Little Liars] and my love of what I do was my North Star truly, it really gave me purpose, and still gives me purpose. But I was constantly in this cycle of extreme depression and anxiety while having to show up to work and be on. And that ‘being on’ fueled even more drinking … I was caught in this cycle that I couldn’t get out of.”
In January, Hale marked two years of sobriety.
“This continues to be the greatest gift I’ve given myself. I remain so grateful for another year of growth, growing pains, lessons, joys, and self-realizations,” she wrote via Instagram earlier this year. “To be able to show up as myself and to be greeted with such warmth and acceptance is something I do not take for granted.”
Hale added at the time, “There is no right or wrong way to heal and it is deeply personal and unique to each of us. My only advice is to remain open hearted, curious, and to find the people who see and support you. It does get better. Take it moment by moment.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
