HEALTHAshlyn Harris Admits to Struggling With 'Really Dark' Adderall Addiction in College: 'Felt Like I Was Gonna Give Myself a Heart Attack'
Ashlyn Harris opened up about battling Adderall addiction while still in school.
April 8 2025, Published 11:23 a.m. ET
Ashlyn Harris revealed she suffered with an intense Adderall addiction while in college nearly two decades ago.
The former soccer player, 39, opened up on a March 20 episode of the "Question Everything With Danielle Robay" podcast about how the drug — normally used to treat ADHD — became a nasty habit during her time at the University of North Carolina.
Ashlyn Harris opened up about battling Adderall addiction while still in school.
"I felt like I was gonna give myself a heart attack," she disclosed. "I was crushing it. I was snorting it. It was so problematic."
The athlete confessed to being "heavily addicted" to Adderall and "misusing it," particularly when going out.
"I loved to party. I loved being out," she stated. "I was just taking it all the time. I would go days without sleeping. It was wild."
Ashlyn Harris is currently dating Sophia Bush.
Harris liked how it curbed her appetite and made her feel "skinny."
"It was just a toxic, toxic time for me because it was the first time that I started to have my character tested because I started to get injured," she added.
It wasn't until her college coach Anson Dorrance made an intervention that she began to stop using Adderall. Dorrance advised her to read books to reframe her mindset and help her find purpose beyond the drug.
"It got really, really dark, and I had to make some serious adjustments..." the soccer player explained. "I started reading this book called [Man’s Search] for Meaning, and it’s about suffering and reframing it, and it changed my life."
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Ashlyn Harris opened up about serious partying habits while being in college.
Harris now famously dates Sophia Bush, who came out as queer in April 2024 and confirmed their relationship at the same time. The couple started dating in October 2023, although they were friends for four years prior after meeting at a conference.
Harris spoke highly of the One Tree Hill alum, 42, and how she roots for her new iHeart Women’s Sports podcast "Wide Open With Ashlyn Harris."
"She supports me so much," Harris told E! News in February. "She has done podcasting and been in the entertainment space for so long, and she has continued to encourage me to be a little more forward-facing after my soccer career ended."
"I've really had a great deal of support with the people that love me the most to encourage me to continue doing this," she added, "and I'm grateful for that, because it has really been such a beautiful journey through such a hard season of divorce and retirement."
Ashlyn Harris was previously married to soccer player Ali Krieger.
Prior to Bush, Harris — who retired from sports in November 2022 — was married to fellow soccer player Ali Krieger for nearly four years. The exes split in 2023, reportedly due to a lack of intimacy, and share custody of their two kids, Sloane, 3, and Ocean, 2.
Bush was previously married twice, to One Tree Hill costar Chad Michael Murray for one year and Grant Hughes for one year. She split from her most recent ex Hughes in 2023 due to their incompatibility.
