Iconic actress and TV personality, Whoopi Goldberg, has shared her battle with cocaine addiction, and how she has dealt with the prevalent drug culture.
In Goldberg’s upcoming memoir, Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me, she opened up about her previous cocaine addiction.
“I had stayed pretty far away from drugs, except for pot, after getting cleaned up in the early 70s,” Goldberg wrote in her memoir.
Despite attempting to stay away from drugs, Goldberg reveals that the late 80’s is when her life took a turn, especially while being in the Hollywood and New York scene. “I was invited to parties where I was greeted at the door with a bowl of Quaaludes from which I could pick what I wanted,” the Oscar winner recalled, per Page Six. She added that lines of cocaine were laid across tables and bathroom counters for the taking.
Goldberg described an environment where drug use was common and accepted, with the assurance that the homes of influential figures in the entertainment industry were safe from police raids.
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She believed that cocaine, being easily accessible, was harmless and initially thought she could control its use. Despite managing to conceal her drug habit and fulfill her professional obligations for about a year, Goldberg eventually opened up about her struggles with addiction.
In her memoir, Goldberg reflects on the intense depths of her cocaine dependency. She paints a vivid picture of experiencing frightening hallucinations, such as spotting a menacing creature lurking beneath her bed, causing her to become paralyzed with fear for a full day.
As her addiction spiraled out of control, the actress candidly revealed a pivotal moment of realization in a Manhattan hotel room, where a shocked housekeeper stumbled upon her engaging in drug use inside a closet.
Goldberg recounted the moment when she confronted her own reflection, streaked with cocaine while explaining to the housekeeper that the room belonged to her.
Following this incident, Goldberg expressed her determination to break free from the clutches of drug addiction and considers herself fortunate that she was able to swiftly halt her drug use.
She explained that she realized the need to distance herself from certain friends and decline certain invitations, and she was capable of making those changes because she didn’t want to lose her life.