Jodie Sweetin Recalls First Drink at ‘Full House’ Co-Star’s 1996 Wedding — and How It Sparked a Long Battle With Addiction

Jodie Sweetin is opening up about the very first time she drank alcohol — an experience she now describes as “awful and ugly,” and one that marked the beginning of a long struggle with addiction.

In a candid interview on the Skinny Confidential podcast, the Full House alum revealed that she was only 13 or 14 years old when she had her first drink. The moment happened at none other than co-star Candace Cameron Bure’s 1996 wedding.

“The first time I ever drank, I was like 13 or 14,” Sweetin recalled. “It was at Candace’s wedding. The last thing I remember is being somewhere around the ‘M’ in YMCA, and then I remember nothing else from the rest of the night.”

Sweetin, who said she was across the room from her mom during the reception, explained how she kept secretly topping off her wine. “They would pour a glass of wine and I’d be like—” she mimed taking a quick sip. “Then they’d come back around, and I’d go, ‘I’ll take a little more, please.’”

The next day, she woke up horrified. But despite feeling physically awful, something in her had clicked.

“I hated it, but at the same time I thought, ‘Ooh, that was fun. You didn’t care about anything. You don’t even remember it.’”

As a teen, she already sensed that her relationship with alcohol wasn’t like other kids her age.

“I knew I drank and partied in a way my friends didn’t,” she said.

Sweetin went on to describe how, years later, being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult helped her understand why substances seemed to fill a void in her life. When her career slowed down around age 13, she suddenly lost the structure that had kept her focused.

“My schedule, my going, my busy — all of that kept my brain occupied,” she explained. “When it disappeared, it was like, who am I now? I think that’s why I found stimulants. They made my brain work better. I would be more sober than anyone else in the room because my brain finally clicked into place.”

Though she acknowledges her journey hasn’t been perfect, Sweetin says motherhood ultimately became her turning point.

“I’m a mom now,” she said. “There was a moment where I realized, ‘Wow… I didn’t think I’d even make it this far. Now what do I do?’ It woke me up. It reminded me that I could actually enjoy normal life — I didn’t have to be partying every night.”

Now 43, Sweetin has been open about her road to recovery. She previously told People magazine that she has been sober from alcohol for 16 years.