Drew Barrymore calls giving up alcohol a calm, confident process”

Drew Barrymore calls giving up alcohol a calm, confident process”

If you're tired of hearing people pedal The idea that they maintain their energy and calm state of mind by simply drinking water, eating “perfectly,” and exercising all the time is something you have in common with Drew Barrymore. "I'm like, oh God, stop making me feel bad about my life choices," the actress and talk show host says of this kind of chatter. What really gets Barrymore through the often stressful Christmas season is therapy.

“I definitely still do my weekly therapy at all costs,” she tells Shape over the phone while promoting her partnership with Quorn, a brand that makes sustainable, meat-free protein alternatives. When she's really struggling, Barrymore turns to meditation. "A 20-minute [meditation session] can be such a game changer, but for anyone who's like that, I can't find that 20 minutes or that discipline [to meditate] that's how I relate."

Still, for Barrymore, therapy is “everything,” she says. The key is to find a therapist “who will challenge you and really help you understand things and break cycles.”

What to talk about in therapy

One cycle the talk show host has broken over the past three and a half years is drinking alcohol - even though the actress isn't sober, she clarifies. “I’m not working on a program, you know, it’s not my thing,” she says. “I simply left out something that was leading to a consistent behavior for me that wasn’t working.”

Giving up alcohol during the holidays may be a challenge for some, but now "it's not hard for me," Barrymore says. “Drinking is much harder for me than not drinking,” she says. “When you can truly change, it’s so liberating to your narrative of ‘I’m a broken, stuck person’.”

Drew Barrymore has opened up about her decision to quit drinking alcohol

Now she enjoys drinking mocktails and non-alcoholic beer when entertaining. “I have alcohol in my house, I serve people drinks,” she explains. “It’s a very calm, confident process,” she continues. "I still love partying with my friends, so, you know, it [the holiday season] doesn't trigger me, thankfully," she says.

Drew Barrymore on giving up alcohol

Drinking is much harder for me than not drinking.

– Drew Barrymore on giving up alcohol

Friends seem to be central to Barrymore's life right now, both in terms of letting go and making healthy choices - which often overlap. "I've been trying to do stand-up workouts with my friends, otherwise I totally lose motivation and it's such a bummer, but I'm not going to workout on my own," she admits. "But if I'm doing stand-up workouts with my friends, I'll do it. So I love being accountable. I also love being with my friends, and doing something positive and healthy is a great time to hang out," she says.

Barrymore likes to mix up her workout activities — which usually include cardio, dance, weights and barre — to keep things interesting. “If it's a great routine, I know it's coming and then I check out,” she says. “So anything that mixes it with fun music.”

She's also the latest celebrity to endorse Pilates, which seemingly everyone in Hollywood (read: Kate Hudson, Jennifer Aniston, Kristen Bell, etc.) is doing these days. “I'm also starting to realize that the older you get, the more you need Pilates,” Barrymore says.

"It's such small movements and so interesting, and then the next day you can feel it so much and it makes you stronger," she says. "And my problem with training is consistency. That's my biggest disadvantage." Finding a comfortable exercise seems to make it much easier for Barrymore to maintain.

How Drew Barrymore makes time for “mental wellness” without actually having time

Drew Barrymore on training with friends

My problem with training is consistency. It is my greatest downfall.

— Drew Barrymore on training with friends

While it's admittedly a challenge for the actress to stay consistent with her workouts, Barrymore is a little more steadfast when it comes to her eating habits. She was raised vegetarian and remained vegetarian until she was in her late twenties. While she eats some meat now, the self-proclaimed "flexitarian" hasn't eaten chicken in 15 years. “I'm a little confused, but I feel like a lot of people travel like that,” she says.

That's one of the reasons Barrymore's partnership with Quorn makes sense. That's why she wants to see the brand's vegan and vegetarian products in as many stores as possible, making finding and cooking meat alternatives easier and more accessible to everyone. “The more we make this easier and more affordable and available for people, the more they will indulge in it.”

And if anyone feels the urge to go vegan or vegetarian (looking at you, Veganuary), now is the time. “I don’t think it’s probably ever been easier to do this,” Barrymore says.