Addiction Recovery

Courtney Friel on Life as a Party Girl, Recovery, and Sobriety

What a Pro! –

April 6, 2020 – One night, I had to edit my story back at the station, so I stopped at a drive-through for a bite before heading to the gas station to pick up a large beer. I emptied out my soda, poured the beer into the cup and secretly drank it while I was in the editing bay. I had a pretty little clear and purple “bumper” that I would take snorts of blow from, too. My drug use often made the drives to and from the desert difficult— I was either too tired or too speedy. One time, I’d taken a tad too much Ephedra, which had already been banned by the FDA, and started having a panic attack. I threw the pills out the window after making a pact with God that I would never take them again. Another time, I was so tired driving back at midnight that I pulled off the freeway and into a parking lot. I had to pee really bad, and when I saw there weren’t any restaurants open, I literally peed in the backseat of my car before napping. Not my proudest moment.

My substance abuse hit new highs when I moved to New York City in February 2007 and was hired to be the face of foxnews.com. At the time, I was the youngest person to be hired for an on-air position at the channel at just 26 years old. I thought I’d have a gradual buildup of TV time, but instead I was thrust onto all the shows at once. I even hosted Fox & Friends my very first weekend there! I was completely unprepared for it and felt totally uncomfortable. My only saving grace was that Britney Spears had shaved her head the night before, so I had a pop culture story to speak on.

@TheFix

Leonard Buschel

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