Most of us remember Stephanie Tanner as the spunky middle child with the catchphrase "How rude!" But while the world was watching reruns of a wholesome family in San Francisco, the actress behind the character was descending into a reality that looked nothing like a sitcom. Honestly, the story of jodie sweetin drugs is a heavy one, marked by a decade of hiding in plain sight and a recovery that was anything but linear. It’s a narrative that reshapes how we think about child stardom and the "perfect" lives we see on screen.
The end of the "Full House" era
The trouble didn't start while the cameras were rolling on the original series. By all accounts, Sweetin was a professional kid who loved her job. But when Full House wrapped in 1995, she was only 13. Imagine being a global household name before you’ve even hit puberty, and then suddenly, the structure, the fame, and the "family" you spent eight years with are just... gone.
She felt a massive void. Boredom set in. At 14, she had her first drink at her co-star Candace Cameron Bure’s wedding. She’s been very open about how that first bottle of wine made her feel—it gave her a sense of confidence and "okay-ness" she hadn't felt before.
It wasn't just a teenage experiment. It was the beginning of a fifteen-year spiral.
The descent into jodie sweetin drugs and addiction
By the time she reached college, alcohol wasn't enough to numb the pressure and the identity crisis she was facing. She moved on to ecstasy and cocaine. She was living a double life: a student and former child star by day, and someone deeply immersed in the party scene by night.
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But the drugs got harder. Crystal meth became a primary fixture in her life.
She once estimated that she spent nearly $60,000 on drugs in just a nine-month window between 2006 and 2007. The money came from Full House residuals—the very show that made her a star was unknowingly funding her addiction. One of the most jarring stories she’s shared involves the premiere of the Olsen twins' movie New York Minute in 2004. While she was walking the red carpet and smiling for photographers, she was actually high on meth. She snorted it in the bathroom right before the event.
The deceit was almost as addictive as the substances. She got good at "pulling off the look." In photos from that era, you’d never guess she was struggling.
The public facade and the "fake" sobriety
There’s a particularly dark chapter in her memoir, unSweetined, where she talks about giving speeches at colleges. She was being paid to talk to students about the dangers of drugs and her "recovery" journey. The reality? She was often high on a mixture of cocaine, meth, and ecstasy while standing at the podium.
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At Marquette University, she actually broke down in tears while speaking. The audience thought it was an emotional breakthrough about her past. In truth, she was coming down from a two-day bender.
The shame of that era is something she’s spent years processing. Being a "professional recovery expert" while actively using is a level of cognitive dissonance that most people can't imagine. It wasn't just about the drugs anymore; it was about the lie.
Turning the tide
It took hitting rock bottom—multiple times—for the change to stick. In 2008, a major turning point occurred. She was investigated by Child Services after an incident where she had been driving drunk with her infant daughter in the car. That was the "holy crap" moment. She realized she was becoming the very person she used to judge: her biological mother, who had also struggled with addiction and had given Jodie up for adoption when she was nine months old.
Recovery isn't a straight line. Sweetin has been sober from alcohol since 2008, but she had a relapse with medication following a car accident in 2011. A doctor prescribed muscle relaxants, and because she hadn't addressed that specific trigger, she fell back into old patterns of lying and hiding.
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She counts her current sobriety date from March 2011.
Since then, she hasn't just stayed sober; she’s become a legitimate expert in the field. She went back to school, earned her degree as a drug and alcohol counselor, and worked as a clinical logistics coordinator at a rehab center in Los Angeles. She wasn't just "the celebrity face" of the center; she was doing the actual work, helping other people navigate the same darkness she lived in for fifteen years.
Why this matters in 2026
In a world where we’re still seeing child stars struggle, Jodie Sweetin's story is a blueprint for how to actually come back. She didn't just "get clean"; she dismantled the celebrity identity that caused the problem in the first place. When she returned for Fuller House, she wasn't the same person who had been snorting meth in bathroom stalls. She was a mother, a counselor, and a woman who had finally found her own worth outside of a script.
She’s now 15+ years sober from alcohol and over 13 years sober from all substances.
The main takeaway here is that "rock bottom" is wherever you stop digging. For Jodie, it was the realization that her children deserved a mother who was present. For others, it might be a job loss or a health scare. But the path out is the same: radical honesty and a willingness to be "unSweetined."
Actionable Insights for Supporting Recovery:
- Ditch the "Double Life": Recovery rarely starts until the secrets stop. Finding one safe person to be 100% honest with is the first step in breaking the power of addiction.
- Address Prescription Risks: As Jodie’s 2011 relapse showed, even "legal" pills from a doctor can be a trigger. If you have a history of substance use, always inform your medical providers so they can offer non-narcotic alternatives.
- Find Your "Why": For Sweetin, it was her daughters. Identifying a motivation that is bigger than the craving is often the only thing that works in the middle of a relapse trigger.
- Professional Help Works: Don't just "white knuckle" it. Whether it's a 12-step program, a clinical counselor, or an inpatient facility, professional structure provides the tools that willpower alone usually can't.