Lena Dunham Celebrates 5 Years Of Sobriety: ‘I Am Grateful’

Lena Dunham is celebrating a big milestone in her life, and took to social media to share her gratitude on her fifth anniversary of being sober.

“Five years ago today, I set foot- trembling like a little kid- into treatment for substance misuse,” she wrote in her lengthy Instagram post.

“My parents hugged me goodbye,

I changed into house slippers and there I was. The struggle with addiction hit me little by little, then all at once. It’s a cliche for a reason- asking for help was the hardest part (I mean, aside from the other hard parts, but each step from there got easier. And ease was always the goal- ease in my body, ease in my restless mind and the ease to exist in moments of pain, anxiety and uncertainty without reaching for a solution that seemed to help in the moment but pulled me further away from the people I love and the life that I wanted.),” she continued.

“The last 5 years have been the happiest of my time on earth so far (at least this time around!) They’ve been full of work, love, complexity and- yes- pain. But facing all of that without medicating myself in unhealthy ways has given me a sturdy baseline and new tools. 5 years ago all of this was impossible to imagine. 5 days was impossible to imagine. 5 minutes sometimes felt hard,” the “Girls” creator added.

“I was able to get and stay sober because I had the support and resources to ask for and get incredible help- medical, spiritual. For so many people, the difference between sober and using isn’t their willingness, or their strength- it’s their resources. We don’t have a system that makes this easy for those who are already struggling to make their lives work,” she wrote.

Dunham revealed that in celebration of her “very lucky sober birthday,” she’ll be matching donations to L.A.’s Friendly House, which she described as “a rehab that doesn’t turn away women and gender nonconforming people for financial reasons.”

She concluded, “There are a lot of people who deserve thanks here- I hope I’ve given them enough of that face to face, but today is a good reminder to give more. Every day is a lesson I am lucky to learn, and I don’t take it for granted. So especially today, I am grateful.”