10 Powerful Quotes from Jamie Lee Curtis on the…

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis has a longstanding history of being vocal about her recovery from opiates. Over the course of her 18 years in recovery, she has shared her experience both privately and – perhaps even more important for the recovery community at large –  publicly. Last night on Chris Connelly, she took yet another step to combat the stigma of addiction by talking about the nationwide opioid crisis with ABC News. 

Curtis says that she too struggled with opioid addiction, and knows that she can serve others by breaking her anonymity and sharing her experience with prescription painkillers.

Here are a few quotes from last night’s interview, along with some other choice pieces of recovery wisdom that she has shared over the years:

1. “Most people who become addicted [to opioids] like me do so after a prescription for a painkiller following a medical procedure. Once the phenomenon of craving sets in, it is often too late,”

2. “We have an opioid epidemic around the world, but predominantly here in America, predominantly in… small towns” 

3. “It’s an epidemic. And I don’t pretend to have the answers for it.”

4. “It is important that people like myself talk about [addiction to opiates].”

5. “The beauty of recovery is it’s about connecting. It’s one addict talking to another, saying, ‘I get it.’”

6. “This is a family disease.”

7.  “The greatest gift to give to the people you love the most is your recovery.”

8. “Getting sober was the single bravest thing I’ve ever done and will ever do in my life. Not [running] a 5K—facing an addiction. Being courageous enough to acknowledge it privately with my family and friends. Working really hard at solidifying it, getting support around it and being healthy. And then talking about it publicly. That is the single greatest accomplishment of my life.”

9. “This is an addiction, this is an illness and there is help, but the help needs to be longstanding and ongoing.”

10. “I’ve been in recovery for a long time, I work with a lot of people.”

Amen, Jamie Lee. Amen!