Anna Faris Says She Quit Alcohol: ‘There’s a Correlation Between Drinking and Depression for Me’

Anna Faris says she quit drinking, explaining that, for her, there’s a link between alcohol and depression.

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Anna Faris shared that quitting alcohol helped her recognize a link between drinking and depression in her life

Faris credited a hormone patch and self-reflection for improving her mental health and outlook as she got older

She expressed gratitude for her comedic career, thanking Marlon Wayans for his family’s role in her breakthrough film

Anna Faris says she quit drinking, explaining that, for her, there’s a link between alcohol and depression.

“It was only in the last, like, year, I think, that I really started to notice and appreciate if and when people recognize me, they would usually smile,” the Spa Weekend star, 49, told Chelsea Handler during an episode of the Dear Chelsea podcast released on Thursday, Aug. 20.

“Do you think that has to do with not drinking?” Handler, 51, asked, adding, “I know you stopped drinking.”

“Yeah, I do. One of the many gifts,” Faris said. “It turns out there’s a correlation between drinking and depression, for me, for sure. I had to take a step back and not self-sabotage.”

“I think that that happens to so many people,” Handler said. “Things change also, like drinking changes as you get older. It’s not the same, it doesn’t have the same effect [or] impact. I mean, all things change as you get older. So you have to really be, like, kind of in touch with your person, like I don’t drink the way I used to drink. I drink — but I just ... don’t even have the same desire.”

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It was also “the hormone patch,” which Faris shared “made a huge difference for me.” Her admission prompted Handler to explain that she also struggled with a period of “absolutely no estrogen” which triggered “the closest I’ve ever had to what people describe as depression.”

Faris went on to reveal that she had been struggling with “death of a career that I felt confused about,” which is why she said she was so excited the first time she saw Marlon Wayans on the set of the Scary Movie reboot.

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As she told Handler, she felt that she never got the chance to thank his brother, Keenan Ivory Wayans, who directed Faris’ early hit film, the first Scary Movie, which launched her comedic career. So when she saw Marlon on set, “I leapt up out of my hair and makeup chair and I grabbed him by the forearms and I was like, ‘Marlon, I need you to know I am so f--king grateful to be here. I can’t believe I get to thank you in person.’ ”

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She explained to Handler, “getting to recognize and take in the gift that Keenan gave me, and that opportunity to thank him for my comedic journey — the comedy world has given me so much that I did not realize.”

“That’s been such a defining part of my life,” Faris added.

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