Famous Alcoholics: The Queen of Scream

Taking advantage of a story about Jamie Lee Curtis and her battle with pain killers that popped up on my news feed this morning, I went hunting for a good picture of her to use for the TDA famous alcoholic feature.

I though it would be cool to get a shot of one her characters that earned her the title “the queen of scream” from the horror movies like Halloween, Prom Night, and my personal favorite, The Fog, but ran across something far better. The photo to the right is of Lindsay Lohan five years ago presenting Mrs. Curtis with an award for helping troubled teens… especially those dealing with alcohol problems. Now that’s a scary picture!

"Being a teenager is really tough," Lohan admits. "But I also see how hard it can be for parents like Jamie. While we were shooting she told me she worked with Teen Line, and I immediately thought that it was amazing that people my age have a resource to turn to. Someone they can call their own age to talk to and get help." ~ USA Today

Ms Lohan may no longer be a teenager, but it would probably do her a world of good to give Jamie Lee a call these days.

Click "Read more" to continue...

Now back to our real star. The cards were stacked against Mrs. Curtis growing up with movie star parents especially when you consider that her father, Tony Curtis, was a notorious alcoholic. Strangely enough though she didn’t get into serious trouble with drugs, and yes alcohol for those of you wondering why I label her as an alcoholic instead of addict, until the age of 34 when she became addicted to pain killers after cosmetic surgery. Following the same playbook we all did, for many years afterward she would steal and lie to keep her addictions fed.

Now 49, Curtis says her addiction was so bad that she even stole pills from her sister, who, at the time, was recovering at the actress' house from a broken bone… "No one knew," Curtis said of hiding her dependency from her family, including husband Christopher Guest. The actress abused drugs to get high and to combat "loneliness," she says, and drank heavily at times for years. ~ NY Daily News

So nearing fifty and after almost a decade of recovery Curtis seems to really have her act together. "When you gain sobriety in the middle of your life, you're really reborn." During this space of time she has become both an author and inventor, but is most proud of becoming a better mother.

"First and foremost I got sober to be a better mother," says Curtis, who is a best-selling author of five children's books. "I realized that the path toward an alcoholic mother was not going to be a happy one in my home. I caught it early. I didn't lose my life like so many alcoholic women often do." ~ USA Today

She is active in many charities and recovery groups, and gets a TDA salute for being a role model in recovery and for her roles in the slasher movies I still hold dear. Thanks for the memories Jamie Lee, and yes I still think you are hot at 50.