Lily Allen gets real on sobriety, self-medicating, and breaking family cycle

Lily Allen has opened up about her personal struggles with addiction, reflecting on how self-medicating was always likely to become part of her story. 

In an interview with The Times, the singer admitted that addiction "runs deep" in her family, making it a case of "when" rather than "if" she would struggle with substance abuse.

The Smile hitmaker, now more than five years sober, shared how her father, actor Keith Allen, battled with drugs, and how some of her earliest memories involved the presence of drink and drugs, including seeing her father use cocaine. 

Lily explained that growing up in such an environment made it feel almost inevitable that she would follow a similar path, saying, "I think that addiction runs deep in my family, so self-medicating was going to be on the cards. For me, it didn’t really feel like an if, it was a when."

Now an ambassador for the addiction charity the Forward Trust, Lily expressed how her sobriety has brought her peace, especially in ensuring that her children feel safe—something she felt was lacking during her childhood. 

The singer revealed that one of the most important things to her is ensuring her kids feel safe—something she didn’t always feel in her own childhood. "My kids feel safe. That’s the main thing for me," she said.

Living in New York with her daughters and husband, Stranger Things star David Harbour, Lily joked that her children are often the ones keeping her accountable, even "monitoring" her attendance at AA meetings. 

Her daughters, she shared, are well aware that staying sober requires constant effort, and they make sure to check in with her, often asking, "Have you been to your meetings, Mum?" Lily acknowledged that sobriety is something she must always prioritize.