Anna Faris is opening up about her decision to stop drinking alcohol and the impact it has had on her mental health.
The "Scary Movie" actress, 49, revealed that she got sober after recognizing a connection between drinking and her struggles with depression. Faris discussed her relationship with alcohol during the Aug. 20 episode of Chelsea Handler's "Dear Chelsea" podcast, where the two reflected on how their drinking habits have changed as they've gotten older.
"It turns out there's a correlation between drinking and depression, for me, for sure," Faris said. "I had to take a step back and not self-sabotage."
Handler agreed, adding that as people get older, their bodies may not be able to process alcohol the same way they did when they were younger.
Faris also credited hormone therapy with improving how she felt, telling Handler that she had recently started using a hormone patch.
"I finally got on hormones, a hormone patch," Faris said. "It made a huge difference for me."
Handler related to Faris' experience, describing her own struggles with hormonal changes and saying adjusting her estrogen dosage helped pull her out of an unusually low period.
"It's the lowest I've ever felt without having a solution, and it's almost like a loss of hopefulness," Handler said, adding that within 24 hours of increasing her dosage, she began to feel hopeful again.
Faris said stepping away from alcohol has coincided with a shift in how she views herself and her career, particularly her complicated feelings about becoming known for comedy.
"Along the way and in the arrogance of my 20s, I did feel envious of people who got their big break in a different way and I think that is a really ungracious idea," Faris said.The actress rose to fame playing Cindy Campbell in the 2000 horror spoof "Scary Movie," a role that helped establish her as a comedy star. But Faris told Handler she spent years struggling to fully embrace that path, describing comedy as an "ill-fitting shoe" despite recognizing how fortunate she was to have a successful career.
"I think too, for so long, I have felt the pressure to feel grateful," she said, adding that she knew she had opportunities many others wanted.More recently, Faris said she has gained a new appreciation for the work that made her famous and the joy it has brought audiences. "It was only in the last year, I think, that I really started to notice and appreciate if and when people recognized me, they would usually smile," Faris said. Faris also returned to the franchise that launched her career, reprising her role as Cindy in 2026's "Scary Movie" reboot alongside original costar Regina Hall. Faris can currently be seen in the new comedy "Spa Weekend," which hits theaters Aug. 21 and costars Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher and Michelle Buteau.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Anna Faris reveals she stopped drinking to avoid 'self-sabotage'
