Australian actress and dancer Dena Kaplan has lifted the lid on her secret fight with prescription drug addiction.
The 36-year-old, best known for playing Abigail Armstrong in hit teen drama Dance Academy, admitted that she spent years trying to safely break free from medication that she says almost destroyed her life.
Speaking on Life Academy: The Podcast, Dena revealed that what began as a way to cope with gruelling tour schedules soon spiralled into a nightmare.
Kaplan was prescribed sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication while travelling through the United States with Aussie DJ Hayden James.
Later, when she joined electronic group Rüfüs Du Sol on the road, her dependence only deepened.
‘I finished touring and came back to Australia… I ran out of medication and I was like oh I’m gonna be fine, and I started to go into withdrawals,’ she recalled.
Dena Kaplan (centre) has lifted the lid on her secret fight with prescription drug addiction
The 36-year-old admitted that she spent years trying to safely break free from medication that she says almost destroyed her life
The actress said the withdrawal symptoms were so severe that she began hallucinating and vomiting, with panic attacks leaving her unable to cope.
Doctors continued prescribing the medication for years, until she was finally able to taper off with support.
Kaplan stressed that she never misused the drugs.
‘It’s that addictive,’ she said, explaining that she only took one pill before bed each night.
‘I had this nightmare of becoming this accidental addict and being so naive and not knowing anything about addiction,’ she confessed.
‘I used to think addiction was like people who wanted to get high and, like, choose to shoot up heroin. It’s like, no, addiction is not a choice, like, it’s something that happened. I was prescribed something. I got addicted to it, and then I spent years of my life, years trying to get off it safely.’
Her first experience inside a rehabilitation centre was ‘terrifying.’
‘I arrived and they took me on a tour around the rehab, and there’s, like, I don’t know, maybe 30-40 people, guys and girls… I was like, sobbing and crying and terrified. I was really scared.’
Speaking on Speaking on Life Academy: The Podcast podcast, Dena revealed that what started as a way to cope with gruelling tour schedules spiralled into a nightmare
However, one unlikely encounter with an Uber driver became a turning point in her recovery.
‘She took one look at me, and she was like, “Are you in withdrawals?”‘ Kaplan remembered.
‘And I was like, “What?” And she was like, “I’m in NA (Narcotics Anonymous) and AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), and I’d love to take you to a meeting”.’
That same night, Kaplan was driven to her first-ever Narcotics Anonymous meeting.
‘There was just all these people sitting in the circle telling their stories of addiction and recovery, and I was there being like, just shaking and crying.’
As well as battling addiction, Kaplan has been candid about her struggles with depression.
She has tried various therapies over the years, including ketamine treatment, and says she is now focused on living a healthier, more balanced life.
If you, or someone you know would like to talk to someone confidentially about addiction, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit Reach Out. In an emergency, call 000.
