Home and Away actress Emily Weir is celebrating eight years of sobriety after quitting alcohol in 2018. Weir, 34, shared in a recent interview with Stellar magazine that she turned to drinking to manage crippling anxiety, a coping mechanism that ultimately led to the decision to seek sobriety.

Weir has been actively engaged with a 12-step program for the past four years, a commitment she states has been crucial to maintaining her sobriety. "Sometimes things have to break in order to be rebuilt," she remarked, reflecting on her personal transformation. "These ideas we have about ourselves – and what a woman should be and how an actress should be – these are old, old ideas. They have to break in order to birth something new."

The actress noted a shift in societal attitudes towards alcohol and mental health, pointing to the rise of the "sober curious" movement. She believes these evolving perspectives have helped reduce the stigma associated with addiction and mental health challenges. "We're more aware of mental illness... there seems to be less shame," Weir said. "I'm a big believer that silence, in regard to addiction and mental health, is something that fuels it. When you can talk about it and be honest and vulnerable about it, there's healing in that."

Weir expressed a desire to offer hope to others by sharing her experience, stating, "I feel comfortable in sharing it, not to flaunt it, but to give hope that you can live a really amazing life on the other side of anything."

Approximately six months after ceasing to drink, Weir secured the role of Mackenzie Booth on the long-running soap opera 'Home and Away,' joining the cast in 2019. The character has since been involved in storylines addressing difficult themes such as infertility and pregnancy loss. Weir stated that the show's willingness to explore such sensitive topics drew her to the role, acknowledging that fertility issues remain a taboo subject for many. "I don't think we're fully out of the woods with that, especially where a lot of our show reaches," she commented.

Although not a parent herself, Weir found the fertility storyline relatable due to the experiences of women close to her who have undergone IVF and faced other fertility challenges. "Many women in my circle have had to go through IVF, the loss of fallopian tubes or an array of fertility issues. I've been present in that experience with them over the years," she shared.

Beyond her sobriety journey, Weir also discussed the importance of authentic relationships and credited older female colleagues for influencing her career and perspective. She admitted that as a teenager, she considered abandoning acting, feeling that being a "theatre kid" was not perceived as