Amber Valletta, 40, spoke out about her own personal struggle with addiction to MindBodyGreen.com.

Valletta, who currently starring on the TV show Revenge, never talked about her past abuse until now. For me, her story truly hit home because I can relate to so much that she has come forward about.

For example, she talks about how when she was 8-years-old, she started huffing anything around her, like glue or nail polish. She talked about how as she got older, it became harder and harder to be comfortable “being a human being,” so she turned to the use of both cocaine and alcohol — a dangerous combination, because one is an upper and the other is a downer.

She expressed how her drug abuse began impacting her career, saying that she no longer cared if, how, or when she would show up for shoots. She says, “I didn’t care, and that’s just to show you addiction takes you to the worst places.”

Even though she talks openly about how easy it was to get her hands on drugs and alcohol in the business, that it was no one’s fault but her own for letting her addiction get to the point it did. By age 25, she checked into rehab and has been maintaining her sobriety ever since.

I think one of the greatest parts about Valletta talking openly about her past battled with addiction is that it shows the courage and humility that she has in order to do that. It also doesn’t just benefit her — many people, especially women, look up to her and will be able to utilize her stance on addiction for the better.

When you look at the bigger picture, it is truly amazing to see more and more celebrities come forward and address addiction as a disease. This movement is honestly helping reduce negative stigma in the country, as well as helping the public realize that addiction is in no way a choice. Personally, I am fascinated by how long it has taken for there to be a platform for this kind of discussion, but I am grateful to see it happening now. I think that more and more people are seeing their loved ones dying from addiction and are starting to pay more attention — and rightfully so.

I am glad to hear that Valletta is doing well in her recovery, because I know first-hand how important it is to stay sober. I hope that she continues to raise awareness about addiction and elaborate on some of the techniques she has used to stay clean so others can learn from her success!