Christina Huffington’s Addiction To Cocaine & Battle For Sobriety

Today Show: Christina Huffington’s Battle With Cocaine Addiction

Arianna Huffington‘s daughter, 22-year-old Christina Huffington, has recently admitted to being a recovering cocaine addict. She tried the drug for the first time when she was 16, and may have its roots in her parents very public divorce that played out under the watchful eye of the tabloids when she was a young girl. Behind those bright camera flashes, a dark struggle with addiction was spawned.

For years, Christina Huffington managed to successfully hide her drug and alcohol abuse from her parents, friends, bosses, and even got into Yale. It was long after that she started snorting cocaine on a daily basis. She got an internship at Glamour magazine, and managed to fool even her bosses there. Cindi Leive, Glamour‘s editor-in-chief, said that Christine did an excellent job, and that, at the time, she was unaware of her drug problem. As it happened, though, her internship happened to fall during a period when she was not using drugs.

Christina Huffington attended a Glamour magazine “Women of the Year” ceremony with her mother, who was being honored there. During the show, Christina developed severe chest pains that were likely caused by a cocaine binge she subjected her body to the night before. It was this that drove her decision to confess the addiction to her mother, and her seeking help soon thereafter.

Today: Christina Huffington Sobers Up

Since she sought help, Christina has been drug free for over a year, and has been speaking to every media outlet that she can to dispel the myth of glamour and drug use. It was unlike the party lifestyle depicted in pop culture, and was mostly her staying up all night in her dorm room, getting high alone at 7 a.m. She can speak to people struggling with addiction and show them that there is hope.

Christina Huffington came on the show to talk about her addiction, and corroborated what had been said, that her drug use was not at all glamorous. It was mostly her sitting alone in her apartment doing drugs all day, morning to night. She was constantly anxious, scared, and felt isolated, alone, and depressed.

While some people toy with drugs recreationally, Christina said that she was addicted to the white powder immediately. The drug erased her insecurities and her feelings of not being good enough immediately, making her feel like she was on top of the world after only one line.

Today Show: Christina Huffington Addiction Recovery

Arianna Huffington said that the family decided to be public with the recovery process so that Christina could be an inspiration to those out there struggling with addiction. It can be a challenge to come forward with a problem such as this, but if Christina’s story helps just one person get over their addiction, then it will be considered a success.

Christina struggled with the idea of coming forward with her addiction initially because she feared the criticisms she would draw. She comes from a wealthy family, and people tend not to feel sorry for advantaged individuals. However, Christina looks at it another way: her story shows that you can still fall victim to addiction, even when you come from a loving, well-off family. No one is immune to it.