Drew Barrymore says her therapist quit over her excessive drinking following her divorce

• Drew Barrymore told the Los Angeles Times that her therapist quit over her excessive drinking.
• The actor said that she coped with her third divorce in 2016 by leaning on alcohol.

Drew Barrymore said her therapist quit after she began drinking heavily following the end of her third marriage.

Barrymore and her husband Will Kopelman separated in 2016, following a four-year marriage, during which they had two children together: Olive, 10, and Frankie, 8.

Last year, Barrymore opened up about her "cripplingly difficult" divorce in an interview with People, saying that she coped by drinking.

"It was just trying to numb the pain and feel good—and alcohol totally did that for me," she said.

In a new interview with The Los Angeles Times on Sunday, Barrymore said that her therapist Barry Michels, who is known for being endorsed by celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Adam McKay, quit on her after working with her for a decade.

"He just said, 'I can't do this anymore,'" Barrymore recalled. "It was really about my drinking. I said, 'I get it. I've never respected you more. You see I'm not getting better. And I hope, one day, that I can earn your trust back.'"

The LA Times reported that Barrymore's friends also tried to help her during the difficult time.

Chris Miller, who previously worked at Barrymore's production company, Flower Films, said: "We were like, 'You've gotta snap out of it. We fully understand that this is a total fuck for you. But you've got two healthy kids, a fantastic career, and incredible friends.' And sometimes you have to be reminded of that."

Cameron Diaz, a longtime friend of Barrymore and her "Charlie's Angels" costar, also said that it was "difficult to watch" the talk show host during this time.

"But I knew that if we all stuck with her and gave her the support she needed, she would find her way," Diaz said. "I have absolute faith in her. You can't even comprehend how hard it was to be her as a child, and then she shot out the other end with the ability to save herself."

Barrymore said she only quit drinking again in August 2019 after filming the pilot for "The Drew Barrymore Show," her morning talk show.

"I think the opportunity at a show like this really hit me," she said. "I was like, 'I can't handle this unless I'm in a really clear place.'"

Barrymore said she also called Michels back, two years after he quit, and the therapist took her back.

"I don't stay stuck," she said.

Speaking to People last year, Barrymore said that her desire to be better for her kids also drove her to go back to therapy and quit drinking.

"I probably cared so much that I was only giving to them and not taking care of myself. It was a messy, painful, excruciating walk through the fire and come back to life kind of trajectory," Barrymore said. "It was my kids that made me feel like it's game time."