Former Neighbours and Home and Away star Jodi Gordon has celebrated her sobriety in a new birthday post.
The actress, who played Elly Conway and Martha Mackenzie on the Australian soaps, completed a 30-day stay at a rehab facility in Sydney in 2022.
To commemorate her 39th birthday, Gordon took to Instagram to candidly share her struggles with alcohol dependence and how she overcame them.
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"I have battled substance abuse for the most part of my life, stepping into recovery at 24 but never being able to stay stopped," she wrote in the emotional post.
"On April 7, 2022, I got sober and have stayed sober ever since, completely changing my life in ways I didn't think were possible."
The soap star also paid tribute to her mum, saying: "My mother is my hero in this lifetime, constantly teaching me how to use my own strength to get back up, look forward and use the tools I have been given. You're the strongest, tallest person in every room mum."
Gordon previously spoke about her experience with depression in 2022, following her stay in rehab. Speaking to Stellar Magazine, the actress shared that she was in a "really dark place."
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"There were no smiles at the start of those 30 days," she said. "To find yourself in a place where you have multiple people making the decision for you that you have to admit yourself into a rehab, that's not a place where you're smiling.
"I learnt so much through connection but also through the tools that you gain in how to start to deal with that pain, that trauma, how to break it down, coping mechanisms. And how, once you exit that rehab facility, to start implementing those tools into your life and restructure and build a bigger, better life."
Neighbours release new episodes from Mondays to Thursdays for free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US. In Australia, the show airs from Mondays to Thursdays at 4pm on Channel 10, with a 6.30pm repeat screening on 10 Peach.
Read more Neighbours coverage on our dedicated homepage
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov.
Alcohol Change UK offers information, advice and support with their questions about drinking and the problems that can sometimes be caused by alcohol. For more information, visit Alcohol Change UK's website. Drinkline also offers free, confidential advice to anyone who is concerned about their own or someone else's drinking on 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am–8pm, weekends 11am–4pm).
Readers can also contact Drinkaware.
