Natasha Lyonne opened up on time she was 'as good as dead' as actor admits to relapsing after years of sobriety

Warning: This article contains discussion of drug addiction which some readers may find distressing.

A previous Natasha Lyonne interview revealed how much she struggled before going sober for two decades.

The American actor, who's known for her roles in titles such as Orange is the New Black and American Pie, took to her social accounts last week to share some heartbreaking news.

Lyonne let fans know that she had sadly relapsed, writing on X: “Took my relapse public more to come.”

Hours later, she added: “Recovery is a lifelong process. Anyone out there struggling, remember you’re not alone. Grateful for love & smart feet.”

“Gonna do it for baby Bambo," Lyonne said in reference to hockey player Sophie 'Bambo' Braverman, who is set to be the focus of one of her upcoming projects.

The 46-year-old told followers to 'stay honest' and added: "If no one told ya today, I love you."

Lyonne went on: "No matter how far down the scales we have gone, we will see how our experience may help another. Keep going, kiddos.

"Don’t quit before the miracle. Wallpaper your mind with love. Rest is all noise & baloney."

The sad news shocked fans, as she had been sober for 20 years beforehand after speaking so openly about her struggles with drugs and addiction.

Back in 2012, Lyonne sat down with Entertainment Weekly in a candid interview about her then-past struggles with substances, reflecting on her rise to fame as a teenager in Hollywood.

Recovery is a lifelong process. Anyone out there struggling, remember you’re not alone. Grateful for love & smart feet. Gonna do it for baby Bambo. 🎥❤️🥊 Stay honest, folks. Sick as our secrets. If no one told ya today, I love you. No matter how far down the scales we have gone,…

— natasha lyonne (@nlyonne) January 24, 2026

"There was the Talmudic existential question of what does it all really mean? Juxtaposed with being a really poorly parented teenager in show business," she told the publication.

Lyonne admitted: "Spiralling into addiction is really, really scary. Some things have a very A-to-B scientific effect. Like, alcohol is a depressant. Cocaine is a stimulant. And then: Cocaine plus heroin is bad! That's the point of my story, that's the moral."

She further pointed out that 'coke plus heroin equals speedball', and that 'speedball equals bad'.

The actor heartbreakingly stated: "It's weird to talk about. I was definitely as good as dead, you know? A lot of people don't come back. That makes me feel wary, and self-conscious. I wouldn't want to feel prideful about it."

Lyonne said that loved ones 'rallied' around her and even 'pulled me up by my f***ing bootstraps', before revealing that she once had a warrant out for her arrest.

She has been clean since 2006 before the admission of her relapse this month, keeping to her nature of being honest and transparent with fans.

"I’m such an open book that I have no problem talking about it and speaking freely, but I’ve sort of said my piece on the subject," the Russian Doll star said of her struggles with addiction.

She additionally told the Guardian: “The truth is, at the back of that addiction are feelings that so many of us have, that don’t go away.

“Isn’t everyone entitled to a moment of existential breakdown in a lifetime? Adulthood is making peace with being kind to oneself when a response to life that’s so much more organic and immediate would be to self-destruct."

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