Selma Blair. John Salangsang/Shutterstock
Selma Blair got candid about her complicated history with alcohol — a dependency that started from a young age.
“My first [time] drunk [was]When I was 7. I had my first drinks much younger. Even as a little kid, that’s a comfort,” Blair, 49, said during an interview with Today‘s Savannah GuthrieWednesday, May 11th “It was hard. I don’t know. Maybe it was easier. Maybe I never would have survived without a drink.”
The Cruel IntentionsBlair recalled drinking heavily throughout elementary, middle and high school. Blair says alcohol helped her forget about traumatic events that had negatively impacted her mental health. “These were the things I drank to forget. I didn’t drink for attention. I drank to disappear,” she added.
Blair, who details her addiction in her memoir, “Mean Baby,” noted that lifelong chronic panic contributed to her personal battles. “I had so many things that were so indicative of [multiple sclerosis],” she recalled. “Doctors thought I had leukemia. I didn’t, but it was a constant high fever. As a child, the illnesses were connected. It was something I knew I had by the time I was 23. It was definitely there for so long.”
After sharing her October 2018 diagnosis, the Michigan native gave an update on her health. “The pain is still there. I’m in remission. I did not create any new lesions. I still have some brain damage and things that are there, but I’m OK with it,” she explained. “I’m OK. I’m grateful because I’m doing so much better.”
The Legally BlondeStar also revealed that she is sober since a 2016 incident. The star revealed that she was sober following a 2016 incident. Us WeeklyIt was confirmed that the actress was taken off an aircraft on a stretcher after a mid flight outburst. Jason Bleick and their son, Arthur, now 10.
“I made a big mistake yesterday. After a lovely trip with my son and his dad, I mixed alcohol with medication, and that caused me to black out and led me to say and do things that I deeply regret,” Blair told Vanity FairIn June 2016, he released a statement. “My son was with his dad asleep with his headphones on, so there is that saving grace. I take this very seriously. I apologize to all passengers and crew who were disturbed. I also want to thank all those who helped me in the aftermath. I am a flawed human being and make mistakes. This incident has made me feel ashamed. I am truly very sorry.”
Blair said that the incident was a wake up call that led her to sobriety. “The thing that made me really stop drinking was that I could have died on that plane,” she added on Wednesday. “I mean, now that I was a mother, it just changed everything.”
Mean BabyBookshelves hit Tuesday, May 17
