Actress Selma Blair has opened up about her decades-long battle with alcohol addiction and multiple experiences of sexual assault in her new memoir “Mean Baby”.

The actress, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, shares her story in an effort to help others who may be struggling with similar experiences.

Blair writes about how she first became aware of the effects of alcohol at the young age of 7, saying, “The first time I got drunk it was a revelation… I thought ‘Well this is a huge disappointment, but since it turns out I can get the warmth of the Lord from a bottle, thank God there’s one right here.’

“I got drunk that night. Very drunk. Eventually, I was put in my sister Katie’s bed with her. In the morning, I didn’t remember how I’d gotten there.”

In her early years, Blair writes that she often didn’t drink to get drunk but instead used it to alleviate her anxiety, saying, “I usually barely even got tipsy. I became an expert alcoholic, adept at hiding my secret.”

However, her drinking worsened in her teens and 20s and during a spring break trip in college, she was raped after a day of binge-drinking.

“I don’t know if both of them raped me. One of them definitely did… I came out of each event quiet and ashamed,” she writes.

In speaking with People magazine, Blair explains how writing about her experiences helped her come to terms with the trauma she has experienced.

“Writing that stopped me dead in my tracks… I did not realize that assault was so central in my life.

“I had so much shame and blame. I’m grateful I felt safe enough to put it on the page.

“And then can work on it with a therapist and with other writing, and really relieve that burden of shame on myself.”

Blair also writes about being sexually assaulted by a trusted mentor and friend who was a dean at her boarding school in Michigan.

“I thought he was the greatest man I had ever met… But he broke me. Nothing ever happened again, but I never felt safe,” she writes.

In her memoir, Blair hopes to reach others who may be struggling with similar experiences and offer them hope.

“I wrote the book for my son… and for people trying to find the deepest hole to crawl into until the pain passes,” she says.

Blair has been sober since 2016 and is using her platform to raise awareness about these important issues and help others who may be struggling.

She is a true inspiration to those who have faced similar challenges and is using her voice to bring attention to the ongoing struggles of addiction and sexual assault.