In 2022, Cara Delevingne checked herself into rehab to begin her sobriety journey following a private struggle with drug addiction which became public following images being released of her in a distressed state at Van Nuys airport. She saw these pictures as a reality check that highlighted how important getting support was. Cara’s addiction to drugs and alcohol didn’t happen overnight. At the time she was living an intense lifestyle with parties and public appearances, all whilst dealing with her own personal journey through drugs, alcohol, and mental health struggles.
Cara attended a rehabilitation centre that offered her a holistic approach to treatment. Focussing on not just her substance abuse but on rebuilding her mental health and self esteem. Cara revealed that her recovery process involved a 12 step programme which she believes made a huge difference to her life.
Now that she is free from her addictions, she feels stable and calm, trusting herself and her judgements. This is often the case for individuals who have come through drug and alcohol abuse – they find that on the other side of rehab they have a newfound sense of self and feel stronger and more resilient to the negative aspects of life as a result.
Who Is Cara Delevingne?
Cara Delevingne is best known for her modelling, acting, and social media careers. Born on August 12th, 1992 in London to affluent parents with family ties to aristocrats and royals, Cara made a real name for herself by pursuing her more creative career.
Her modelling career was the first to take off, starting at a young age and even appearing in Vogue Italia early on in her career, marking her out as a rising star in modelling. In 2009, at just 17, she signed with Storm Management, a key talent agency for aspiring models who want to make a huge name for themselves in the industry. It wasn’t until 2012 that Cara’s big break would come, when Burberry scouted her, leading to collaborations and runway shows with major fashion houses such as Victoria’s Secret and Chanel. Cara is recognised as one of the top models of her time, receiving multiple Model of the Year awards during her career.
In 2012, Cara also debuted as an actress in Anne Karenina, a role that launched yet more successful acting jobs for the young star. Today she is known for both arms of her career, being seen as equally successful in both.
Mental Health & Addiction
Cara Delevingne opens up about her struggles with mental health and addictions regularly. As a high profile celebrity, she had past struggles with dealing with the fame and pressure that came along with the careers she loved. During this time substance abuse and depression were two big battles for Cara, which the pressures of fame only served to exacerbate and make worse. The more she tried to run from the pressures she was facing as a celebrity, the more she turned to substances which only made her mental health struggles that much worse.
She associated alcohol with a coping mechanism from a young age, admitting that she got drunk at the age of 8 – admitting that it was “a crazy age to get drunk”. Cara admitted to thinking alcohol helped with her emotions, but later realised that it never did, it only made things worse for her.
As a teenager, Cara Delevingne reveals that her mental health issues were already apparent – before stardom and fame. During her teenage years, Cara experienced symptoms of both depression and anxiety which were made worse by the scrutiny she faced as a model. To deal with these emotions, parties, drugs and alcohol helped to mask them, but without ever truly tackling her feelings head on, her problems worsened, her mental health continued to dip and her substance abuse increased.
Only after receiving a wake up call from pictures of her looking dishevelled did Cara realise rehab was necessary. She had previously received “interventions of a sort” from friends who were concerned about her substance abuse, but it wasn’t until she was able to identify the issue as a problem for herself that she admitted she needed support.
Her rehab involved a 12 step programme, which she credits as being vital to her recovery. Now that she is free of alcohol and drugs, she recognises that parties are just as much fun sober as they were before, only now she protects her mental health by refusing to take drugs and alcohol and focusing on what makes her feel calm and happy. This didn’t happen overnight, of course, but by finding a programme that works and sticking to it you can make a real difference to your life, just like Cara Delevingne.
How Fame Impacted Cara Delevingne’s Health
Whilst anxiety and depression were a part of Cara’s life from a young age, this was often as the result of school bullying, leaving her to feel alienated. Dealing with these emotions alone became the norm and meant that later on, when the pressures of fame exacerbated her experience of mental health struggles, she did not have a support group around her at first to lean on.
When her modelling career took off, fame piled on the pressures she was facing and Cara quickly became overwhelmed by her success, fame, and celebrity. During this time she said she felt inadequate and filled with self doubt, as though she was undeserving of the success she was receiving – made worse by the intense scrutiny she fell under as a rising star in the model and acting worlds.
It was specifically the judgements she faced as a model that added additional pressures and eventually she would transition full time to acting, where she is now able to enjoy a more balanced lifestyle that puts herself and her mental health first.
During her rehab, Cara learned the value of dealing with emotions as they come up, rather than masking them with substances that might help alleviate some of those feelings in the short term, but always lead to larger issues down the road. She also learned the importance of taking care of yourself, protecting your own mental health, and prioritising your wants and needs so you can live a life that fulfils you.
If you want to change your life for the better, then contact our expert team at InnerLife Recovery today. We can take any addiction – behavioural or substance based – and help you get to the root cause, unpick the problems of your past, and change your inner life for the better today.
Cara Delevingne Advocacy
Nowadays, following her successful recovery, Cara has become a vocal advocate for mental health and addiction awareness. She uses her platform to share her personal struggles with mental health and substance use with an aim to remove the stigma surrounding these often taboo topics. It’s Delevingne’s goal to encourage others to feel confident in speaking out about their struggles and to realise that these battles are things that need to be discussed with trusted friends and loved ones to help you get through it. She knows the importance of seeking support from an organised rehabilitation programme and encourages those struggling with addiction to do the same to start their personal road to recovery.
Cara Delevingne’s Lasting Impact On The Addiction Conversation
By being so open and honest about her personal experiences, the young star has continued to open people’s eyes to the struggles of addiction – especially in areas that are often shown to be glamorous like celebrity parties and the modelling space. Her honesty encourages others to share their own experiences to reduce the stigma around addiction and mental health.
Her story has also had a direct impact on the industries she works in. Rising stars in the fashion and film industries are now benefiting from an increased awareness of how fame can have an impact on mental health and substance abuse. With support being put in place, real changes are beginning to be seen in the industry, and Cara’s story has helped shape that.
Delevingne’s story shows that with the right personal attitude and desire for change, a supportive community, and professional help from the right place you can make a change for the better. Effective recovery is possible and we’d like to be a part of that journey for you or a loved one struggling with behavioural or substance addiction.
At InnerLife Recovery we offer a luxury stay at our rehab centre in the heart of Spain, where you can really transform your relationship with addiction, change your thought patterns and behaviours and learn new coping mechanisms to deal with big emotions. We believe in a holistic approach that changes your inner life for the better – so why not see how we can support you today?
