Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin is celebrating 30 years of sobriety
“Happy 30th Sobriety birthday to me!” she captioned an Instagram photo of herself pretending to bite her sobriety chip engraved with “XXX.”
In 1987, when Matlin was just 21 years old, she entered rehab for addiction to cocaine and pot. It was at the Berry Ford Center where she found out she was nominated for her role in “Children of a Lesser God.”
“When I walked into Betty Ford Center 30 years ago, I met an older woman who welcomed me there that very first night…” the 51-year-old wrote alongside the photo, “She asked me how long I had in my sobriety. I told her 12 days…she said she had 20 years. THAT was when I told myself I was going to do the same if she could do it. So here I am, 30 years later…I dedicate this celebration to the lady who inspired me to stay sober.”
She continued, “I am so grateful to have what I want in life….to be able to see and think clearly and to be able to wake up everyday alive. Enough said here. One day at a time, baby. Thank you to those who have had my back and still do. You know who you are … Thank you my husband for the yearly chips! Love you!”
The “Switched at Birth” actress wed husband Kevin Grandalski in 1993 and the couple have four children together.