Alisan Porter, better known as “Curly Sue” from the 1991 comedy of the same name, returned to the spotlight with a bang on the season premiere of NBC’s The Voice. Not only was her performance flawless but she also got real about her experience with getting sober. “I was going through a hard time in life and I actually got sober almost eight years ago,” she emotionally shared.
Sadly, it’s not surprising when we hear of a child star turning to drugs or alcohol abuse in order to cope with life in the spotlight. Back in 2014, she wrote a down-to-earth blog post on Lil Mama’s, a mommy-blog that she founded, about her path through alcoholism and how she made her way to a fulfilling and sober life. She was raw and honest and the blog post generated a lot of comments from other people who had overcome addiction as well as some who were still going through it. “Hi, I’m Ali, and I’m an alcoholic,” it starts off.
“I was living in NYC when I realized I needed to get sober. I was miserable and overwhelmed with life. I was heartbroken and realizing that what had always worked for me in the past was NOT working at all,” she wrote. “So, I did what every good user does and I prayed to a god I had never believed in… and then called my mom. Days later I was off to treatment, just like that. For the next four years, I went to meetings, worked the steps, got a sponsor, found a god of my own understanding, prayed, meditated, and basically grew up.” The blog post in its entirety touches on the stigma of addiction as well as the judgments that people are so often quick to jump to.
Alisan Porter gave up on alcohol in October of 2007 and hasn’t touched a drink or drug since. She is happily married with two children. She has also appeared on Broadway twice (Footloose and A Chorus Line) and also put out several solo albums. She confessed that she just needed to find her place in the business. In our humble opinion, we’d say she’s found it.
Are you rooting for Alisan on The Voice? Please share with us in the comments below or via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We love hearing from you!
If you or someone you love could benefit from alcohol addiction treatment, call us today at (855) 203-7930 for more information about our services. Each client at The Discovery House receives customized care to end their dependence on prescription drugs, heroin and other opiates and/or alcohol in order to live a clean and sober life.