Lucy Hale Hit 'Rock Bottom' at 32 After Years of Alcohol Abuse. How She Broke the Cycle: 'Life Feels So Good Now' (Exclusive)

Lucy Hale has been sober for two and a half years – and she’s talking about her journey in the hope it will resonate with one person.

“When I got sober, my intention was never to be the poster child for sobriety,” Hale — who is receiving the 2024 Humanitarian Award from Friendly House, a women’s addiction recovery center — tells PEOPLE exclusively. “But when I started talking about it, it came from a need to heal and get my power back.”

Former Pretty Little Liars actress, 35, says the response from people “feeling seen” and relating to her story has been “the greatest gift,” and that was amplified when she visited Friendly House LA. “When women heal and grow together, it’s just… it’s palpable. It’s just the best feeling to witness women flourish and conquer the impossible.”

If you had told 20-year-old Hale that she would win an award and inspire others with her sobriety, she probably wouldn’t have believed you. “I can’t believe I’m at a place in my life where I can talk about things that used to make me so ashamed,” she says.

Lucy Hale at Friendly House LA.

Friendly house

“Even when I was very young, I always felt lonely and misunderstood. So I found alcohol as a teenager — which of course turned my brain off,” says Hale, recalling how her alcohol addiction began. “And it worked for me for a while, until it got really dark.”

Hale spent her 20s battling her demons. “I’ve always had a desire to change, but with any form of addiction you become powerless in the face of this obsession,” The game of hate says the actress. “I definitely had to go through my own sobriety process. It took many, many, many years, many relapses, many dark moments, many falling on my face literally and figuratively to figure out what was working in my life, to discover why I drink, because getting rid of alcohol is simply a part of it. ”

Lucy Hale celebrates 2 years of sobriety: ‘It’s still the greatest gift I’ve given myself’

While managing her alcohol addiction, Hale was also becoming a star on the hit series Pretty Little Liarsan opportunity she calls “the north star.” “If I’m being completely honest, without my career and without that creative outlet, I don’t know if I would have succeeded,” says the actress. “I think that show and my love for what I do was truly my North Star, it really gave me purpose, and still gives me purpose. But I was constantly in this cycle of extreme depression and anxiety as I had to show up to work and be ready. And that ‘being involved’ fueled even more drinking… I was caught in this cycle that I couldn’t get out of.”

Troian Bellisario, Shay Mitchell, Lucy Hale and Ashley Benson in ‘Pretty Little Liars’.

Eric McCandless/Abc Family/Alloy/Warner Horizon Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

It took “rock bottom” at the age of 32 for Hale to change the trajectory of her life. “I decided on the morning of January 2, 2022 that I was going to do everything I could to get sober,” she recalls to PEOPLE. “I knew that if I continued down that path, I would lose everything I cared about. It was the scariest choice in my life, but also the best gift. When I made that change, everything else changed. My whole life changed.”

Two and a half years later, Hale says the journey can still be “painful and uncomfortable,” but worth every moment. “I still have to make decisions every day like, ‘Okay, today I’m staying sober and today I’m choosing me,’ but it goes deeper than just not drinking. My life is so good now that I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

These days, life seems “calmer” for Hale. “My life has always been chaotic, so my brain chemistry recalibrated,” she says, noting that staying present is key. “What sobriety has taught me is to take things as they come and enjoy every moment of every day. I have big dreams, big aspirations, but what my life is now is just trying to be as present as possible.”

Lucy Hale recalls ‘Dark Place’ being a ‘textbook drunk’ before getting sober

Lucy Hale in May 2024.

Stefanie Keenan/Getty

Meanwhile, Hale learns to love herself. “I love that I can just be myself and not have to paint a pretty picture of what people expect me to be or expect me to say,” she says. “It felt like the right time to finally come out as me because it’s all I’ve ever really wanted. It’s been a crazy journey, but I’m very grateful.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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Source: HIS Education