As a child star, Maisie Williams had to deal with the expectations people have of children who enter entertainment early. She told the Independent she often felt like people were expecting a downfall, without even explaining to her what leads other kids to struggle. "Even when I was 12, people were like, 'Ooh, are you gonna get a drug habit and ruin your life?'" she recalled.
Williams did, eventually, begin experimenting with substance use. Things got particularly serious after a bad breakup, as she revealed on the "School of Greatness" podcast. Describing a dark period that she says lasted several months, Williams reflected, "I was dead set on being very self-destructive ... never really had a good relationship with substances anyway, and it had all sort of started to come out."
On the "The Diary of a CEO" podcast, Williams opened up further on the topic. "I don't want to undermine it," she said. "I took a lot of party drugs, and like, partied. ... I was in a position where, like, I could buy more." Thankfully, Williams felt that she was eventually able to stop when she wanted to. "It was like, definitely something that I was like ... I need to stop doing this if I want to feel happiness," she explained. Nowadays, Williams doesn't consider herself sober, but she doesn't drink very often. "I don't really drink like, in the house, or on weeknights," she reflected, instead limiting herself to drinking socially.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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