Jamie Lee Curtis has opened up about struggling with opioid addiction in the late 1980s. “I was ahead of the curve of the opiate epidemic,” she quipped with People. “I had a 10-year run, stealing, conniving. No one knew. No one.”

Jamie later explained that she was prescribed painkillers after a minor plastic surgery operation on her eyes in 1989. That’s when she developed an addiction to the drugs, even stealing them from friends and family — until her sister caught the actress stealing pills from her in 1998.

“I’m breaking the cycle that has basically destroyed the lives of generations in my family. Getting sober remains my single greatest accomplishment … bigger than my husband, bigger than both of my children and bigger than any work, success, failure,” she added.

Jamie went to her first recovery meeting soon after she was caught by her sister. “In recovery meetings, anyone who brings up opiates, the entire room will turn and look at me,” she said, “because I’ll be like, ‘Oh here, talk to me. I’m the opiate girl.’”

She also noted that addiction ran in her family: Her father, actor Tony Curtis, was an alcoholic who also struggled with cocaine and heroin use, while her brother, Nicholas, died of a heroin overdose in 1994.

 

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All of the success that @halloweenmovie movie is having, for all of the creative people involved in the making, none of this would’ve been possible without my sobriety. That @people would honor that life saving journey on their cover confirms the idea that “We ARE all in this together.” Thank you 📷@amandaefriedman @seanjameshair @camillemarieclark and Johnny Dodd for your gentle ear and compassionate and powerful words.

A post shared by Jamie Lee Curtis (@curtisleejamie) on Oct 24, 2018 at 10:19am PDT