Lulu Reveals Battle Against Alcoholism: 'I'm Not Ashamed Anymore'
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- Penyanyi veteran Lulu, 77 tahun, secara terbuka mengakui dirinya seorang alkoholik dan telah bebas alkohol sejak rehabilitasi pada 2013.
- Ia menegaskan tidak bangga dengan masa lalunya, tetapi menolak rasa malu yang dulu membelenggunya, dan menyebut penulisan memoar sebagai terapi yang traumatis namun katarsis.
- Kesaksian Lulu menyoroti pentingnya dukungan kesehatan mental dan spiritual dalam pemulihan kecanduan, sekaligus menginspirasi diskusi tentang alkoholisme fungsional yang sering tersembunyi.
Legendary Scottish singer Lulu has surprised the public with the honest admission that she is an alcoholic. The 77-year-old woman stated that she no longer feels ashamed of her condition, although she is also not proud of the dark journey she once went through. She first made this confession in her memoir titled If Only You Knew, which she then elaborated on in an interview with i newspaper.
Lulu, who has been active in the music industry since the 1960s, revealed that she underwent rehabilitation in 2013 and has not touched alcohol since. The decision to open up was not without risk. Writing the book, she said, was like "going to hell and back"—an intense process that forced her to confront past trauma. However, she called the experience cathartic. "Now that I have been honest and vocal about being an alcoholic, I am not proud, but I am not ashamed. Because I used to be very ashamed," she said.
This confession is not just a celebrity venting. Alcoholism, especially functional alcoholism, often goes undetected because sufferers are still able to carry out daily routines. Lulu herself admitted to being a "highly-functioning alcoholic"—she could perform on stage, record songs, and meet work schedules, but every night she went to sleep drunk. "I was very closed off, I was very ashamed. I would go out, drink a few glasses, come home, drink more. You know you're an alcoholic if you can't stop," she recalled. Even her son and her close friend, Elton John, did not realize her inner struggle for years.
In an interview on the podcast On The Mend hosted by Matt Willis, Lulu spoke about her fear of relapse. "I have a healthy fear of relapse, but I don't constantly feel anxious. I am aware it could happen," she said. She admitted that being among people enjoying fine wine is sometimes tempting, but she knows the price to pay. "It's like cutting off your own arm... I would immediately collapse. It would be the end of my life."
"I have always had tremendous faith. I call it more spirituality than religion. Every morning I kneel and thank God for what I have... I believe there is something greater than myself." — Lulu
Lulu's journey also highlights the importance of mental health in the recovery process. She admitted that writing her memoir deeply shook her soul to the point that she had to return to therapy. "I needed to go back to therapy, seriously. The book traumatized me," she confessed. This experience shows that speaking openly about addiction can be a double-edged sword: on one hand it is liberating, on the other it stirs up old wounds.
In Indonesia, the issue of alcoholism is still often seen as a disgrace that is taboo to talk about. Data from the Ministry of Health shows an increase in the number of alcohol users among teenagers and young adults, yet rehabilitation services and mental health support are still limited. Lulu's story can serve as a mirror that addiction does not discriminate by social status or profession. Spiritual support and professional therapy, such as she underwent, are key to persevering in recovery.
Going forward, the openness of public figures like Lulu about their struggles can reduce stigma and encourage more people to seek help. However, challenges remain: how to ensure adequate access to mental health services, especially in countries with a strong culture of shame? Lulu's story reminds us that recovery is a lifelong process, and the courage to be honest is the first step toward healing.
