Jamie Lee Curtis is definitely one of Hollywood's most famous scream queens and what many people don't know is that she had a time in her life that played out almost like a horror film. The 59-year-old Halloween star told PEOPLE that she is fortunate to be alive following an addiction to opiates that she kept a secret after it started in the late '80s. Curtis spoke about it in this week's cover story saying: "I was ahead of the curve of the opiate epidemic. I had a 10-year run, stealing, conniving. No one knew. No one."
The veteran actress opened up and said that her family has had a long history of addiction even before hers began. Her father, 'The Great Race' actor Tony Curtis, used to abuse alcohol, cocaine, and heroin. Nicholas Curtis, her half-brother, died from a heroin overdose back in 1994.
Curtis said that she was prescribed opiates in 1989 for the first time after she went through a minor plastic surgery "for my hereditary puffy eyes". She said that she then spent the next 10 years getting any painkiller any way that she possibly could. Curtis said that she also stole pills from friends and family, including her elder sister Kelly who was the first one to find out about the addiction in 1998.
The 'Freaky Friday' actor went for her first recovery meeting in February 1999 and that was also the day that she told Christopher Guest, her husband of 33 years, that she was addicted to opiates. The couple has two children together - 31-year-old Annie and 22-year-old Tom.
Curtis said in the interview with PEOPLE: "I’m breaking the cycle that has basically destroyed the lives of generations in my family. Getting sober remains my single greatest accomplishment… bigger than my husband, bigger than both of my children and bigger than any work, success, failure. Anything."
Curtis also celebrated the fact that she has been sober now for almost 20 years and said that she still attends meetings providing help to other people who struggle with overcoming their addiction. She said: "In recovery meetings, anyone who brings up opiates, the entire room will turn and look at me, because I’ll be like, 'Oh here, talk to me. I’m the opiate girl'."
The accomplished actor is reprising her role as Laurie Strode in Universal Pictures' 'Halloween' which launched her acting career 40 years ago. The new sequel has already broken box office records after its domestic opening weekend raked in $77.5 million. This is also the biggest opening ever for a lead actor over the age of 55.
The 59-year-old actor also recently posted a rare photograph of herself with her entire family — her husband Christopher Guest, and their two children Annie and Thomas on Instagram. The group was at the premiere of Curtis' upcoming 'Halloween' before its nationwide release on Friday.
