Selma Blair Says She Would Drink Alcohol to Mask 'Nerve Pain' From Multiple Sclerosis in New Interview Before Plane Incident

Selma Blair admitted she previously used alcohol to mask the symptoms brought about by her multiple sclerosis (MS).

The actress told Jenny McCarthy about the way she self-medicated on "The Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Show" — in a conversation recorded prior to Blair's arrest following a recent plane altercation.

McCarthy asked the Cruel Intentions star about her sobriety during the conversation.

"It's wild the times that I've gone even as a very young girl to alcohol. I was never someone who liked drugs, I was just afraid of them. I was never someone who could tolerate opiates, thank God," Blair told the host.

She continued, "But I was even at a very young age, using it for the headaches, using it my — to calm down, using it very young. And then I realized it was the one thing that took away my nerve pain. It was the one thing that could take you from so this to, you know, chill. But then, you know, one glass isn't enough. Two glasses isn't great. Three's better, four's horrible, five... And you know, just depressive. It wasn't gonna lead me the right place."

Addressing her relationship to alcohol now, she said, "I don't live a sober-sober lifestyle, with AA, but drinking, no, I cannot do."

Blair has been open about her sobriety and about using alcohol to mask painful symptoms for years.

"I wouldn’t have been able to be diagnosed with MS unless I was sober," she said in a 2024 interview. "I wouldn’t be a good mom unless I was sober. I self-medicated."

Blair has unfortunately been making headlines in recent days after she was arrested upon arrival in New York, having flown in from Los Angeles, as reported by BBC News.

The actress was also given immediate medical care after officials responded to reports of "a physically abusive passenger" on the flight. Blair was accused of attacking two flight attendants, one of whom was taken to hospital after the incident.

Several days later, the Legally Blonde star's publicist said that she "did not intend to harm anyone" and that she suffers from a neurological disorder that can lead to unpredictable behavior.

"Selma had never been arrested before Sunday night," the publicist said. "There is much more to this story than has been reported, and we ask to consider the entirety of the facts before rushing to judgment, whether in the courtroom or in the court of public opinion."

In 2016, Blair was involved in a similar incident on a flight from Cancun to L.A. when she had an outburst.

At the time, she said in a statement, "I made a big mistake yesterday. After a lovely trip with my son and his Dad, I mixed alcohol with medication, and that caused me to black out and led me to say and do things that I deeply regret. My son was with his Dad asleep with his headphones on, so there is that saving grace."

She added, "I take this very seriously, and I apologize to all of the passengers and crew that I disturbed and am thankful to all of the people who helped me in the aftermath. I am a flawed human being who makes mistakes and am filled with shame over this incident. I am truly very sorry."

In the 2024 interview, she was asked about her lowest point with drinking and replied, "The plane incident. I was so messed up and dehydrated and hungover and didn’t know I had neurological issues. I didn’t understand anything. It was horrifying and humiliating. I had to grow up."