Britney Spears Exposes Shocking Truth About Her Lifelong Battleground with Adderall Abuse in ‘The Woman in Me’ Memoir

Britney Spears. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

In her memoir, "The Woman in Me," Britney Spears openly addresses her past drug and alcohol usage, specifically highlighting her preference for Adderall, an ADHD medication. The New York Times published an excerpt of her recollection on Thursday, October 19.

The Grammy winner denied having a drinking problem and showed no interest in using hard drugs. Instead, she expressed that what she found more enticing about the medication was that it provided a few hours of relief from her depression, describing it as making her feel euphoric.

During the peak of Spears' career in the 2000s, there was frequent speculation surrounding her drug and alcohol consumption. The rumors intensified when she was seen with fellow teen icons Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton in 2006. Spears addressed this in her book "The Woman in Me," stating that it was not as sensationalized as the media portrayed it.

Hilton, who is now 42 years old, later disclosed that the three of them had carpooled to a club in Los Angeles. "Brit and I were out and then [Lindsay] just literally chased us to the car and got in," the Paris in Love alum humorously remarked during an MTV Australia interview in December 2017. "[Lindsay] wasn't invited. She wasn't on the list."

In The Woman in Me, Spears reflected on her own behavior, acknowledging that she had been acting recklessly and indulging in frequent parties. However, she believed that these actions did not warrant the conservatorship that was imposed on her. Starting in 2008, Britney's father, Jamie Spears, was appointed as the conservator of her personal life, finances, and more.

Expressing her frustration, she stated in an excerpt from The Woman in Me, as quoted in the newspaper, "There was no action on my part that justified the way they treated me as if I were a criminal. Nothing that justified completely disrupting my entire life. From being a partygoer, I suddenly transformed into a person with strict routine. Security guards would hand me prepackaged medication envelopes and observe me as I took them. My iPhone had parental controls, and every aspect of my life was closely monitored and controlled. Absolutely everything."

Since 2021, Britney has been advocating for the termination of the conservatorship, alleging that Jamie, 71, and co-conservator Jodi Montgomery — who took over in 2019 — had abused their positions. In a June 2021 court hearing, Britney even claimed that her therapist replaced her prescribed medication from previous years with lithium, a mood stabilizer used to treat bipolar disorder.

According to Britney, "Lithium is a very strong and completely different medication compared to what I was used to. Taking too much or being on it for longer than five months can cause mental impairment. But he put me on that, and I felt intoxicated."

She exclaimed, "My family did absolutely nothing, and to make matters worse, my dad actually supported it. Every decision regarding me had to get his approval. I'm exhausted from constantly feeling isolated."

The conservatorship was legally terminated by a judge in November 2021.

For free and confidential information 24/7 on substance abuse issues, contact the National Helpline of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-4357. Don't miss the release of The Woman in Me at bookstores on Tuesday, October 24.