Selma Blair revealed that she would use alcohol when she was younger to help her cope with MS symptoms.
The “Cruel Intentions” star opened up in an episode of “The Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Show,” published Tuesday. She said that while she doesn’t drink now, she “used it for so long in times of distress.”
“I was even a very young age using it for the headaches, using it to calm down, using it very young,” Blair said. “And then I realized it was the one thing that took away my nerve pain.”
The podcast episode was filmed before the actor was arrested on Oct. 11 at John F. Kennedy International Airport after an alleged altercation with staff during a flight from Los Angeles.
Blair went publicin 2018 about having multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic neurological disorder and autoimmune disease. The actor said on the podcast that she never drank alcohol in public with friends, but rather used the substance to aid her sleep.
“[Alcohol] would make you sleep ‘cause you pass out and then you wake up three hours later wishing your life was over ‘cause the sugar spike or whatever,” Blair said. “When you’re depressed, that is never going to be a good solution. And I was always just feeling tired and depressed and that was horrible.”
Sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea and insomnia, are common for people with MS, affecting more than half of those living with the autoimmune disease, according to the national Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“I don’t live like a sober sober lifestyle, but drinking, no, I cannot do,” Blair said. “I’m still a human being but I recognize that alcohol is not good medicine for me.”
In the podcast, Blair also talked about the complexities of finding proper MS care, including how she located a female medical specialist who diagnosed her with pseudobulbar affect, a neurological condition that causes sudden, uncontrollable episodes of laughing or crying that do not match how the person might feel on the inside.
“We don’t talk about medicine so much because one thing that ultimately put me into this relapse-free state, other people could have horrible side effects,” said Blair. “I tried four drugs that worked amazing for other people and it just made me worse and worse.”
In the podcast, Blair also said she no longer has active MS, meaning that the immune system is not actively attacking the brain and spinal cord. However, individuals with MS can still experience “a little traffic jam” in their brain where there is a lesion.
The “Hellboy” star, 54, made headlines on Oct. 11 when she was taken into custody at JFK Airport and transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. The “Legally Blonde” star was accused of kicking a Port Authority Police Department officer as she was being transported to the hospital, as well as kicking a nurse.
On Oct. 12, Blair was charged with two counts of second-degree assault for her alleged actions involving the police officer and nurse. Blair pleaded not guilty.
Her attorney reportedly told the judge that “this was not an intentional assault” and that the actor had “missed several doses of … a powerful medication that controls severe neurological symptoms,” per the New York Post.
Los Angeles Times staff writer Tracy Brown contributed to this report.
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