Whoopi Goldberg Recounts Housekeeper Finding Her Using Cocaine in Hotel Closet, Says Moment Was a Wake-Up Call

The EGOT winner discusses her previous drug use in her new memoir, ‘Bits and Pieces,’ out now

Whoopi Goldberg is reflecting on her past drug use — and the wake-up call that led her to get clean — in her new memoir.

The View cohost, 68, published her book Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me on May 7 through Blackstone Publishing. The memoir largely centers on Goldberg’s relationships with her mother Emma Harris, who died in 2010, and her brother, Clyde K. Johnson, who died in 2015. In addition to serving as an emotional tribute to her family, she also looks back on the highs and lows of her career — including her previous drug use.

Goldberg writes that she had largely “cleaned up” from her recreational drug use in the early '70s, but fell back into it in the '80s when spending time in New York and Los Angeles.

“I was invited to parties where I was greeted at the door with a bowl of quaaludes from which I could pick what I wanted,” Goldberg writes. “Lines of cocaine were laid across tables and bathroom counters for the taking.”

Goldberg notes that she “thought I could handle the cocaine thing," but after a year, she “fell into the deep well of cocaine,” and “sank to a new low.” The actress also reveals that her drug use affected her work and she began to experience hallucinations. At one point, she didn’t leave her bed for 24 hours.

The actress experienced a wake-up call while staying at a hotel in Manhattan for her birthday. After taking an ounce of cocaine that someone had given to her, she writes that a housekeeper discovered her in a closet.

Related: The Biggest Revelations from Whoopi Goldberg’s Memoir Bits and Pieces: Her Mother’s Breakdown and Advice from Elizabeth Taylor

The housekeeper was startled by the encounter, and Goldberg noticed that she was staring at her face. After she left, Goldberg looked in the mirror and realized she had cocaine all over her face.

“I was letting something else run my life and take me over,” Goldberg writes. “I didn’t need my mom to be disappointed or pissed at me—I was pissed enough at myself.” 

The actress also writes that she wanted to get clean for her daughter, Alex, and “fix” her life. Goldberg eventually managed to stop using the drug, though she noted that “it wasn’t going to be easy for a long time.”

Related: Whoopi Goldberg Reveals How Sister Act Costar Maggie Smith Comforted Her When She Heard Mom Was Dying

Speaking with PEOPLE, Goldberg reflects that the writing process for Bits and Pieces — which also touches upon the grief of losing her mother and brother — was a challenging but necessary process. Looking back on her own life and career, the EGOT winner has a firm stance about the mindset that has gotten her through.

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“I have to say, the same attitude I had in my forties, I have in my sixties…I give zero you-know-whats. If I don’t want to do it, I’m okay with walking away,” Goldberg tells PEOPLE. “Pick your battles and then fight those.”

Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me is now available, wherever books are sold.

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Read the original article on People.