‘Snapple Lady’ Wendy Kaufman calls job ‘gift to sobriety’ after years of cocaine addiction

Wendy Kaufman credits her occupation astatine Snapple pinch helping her get sober aft a decade of cocaine usage opening successful nan 1980s.

The erstwhile beverage spokeswoman, who famously became known arsenic “Wendy, nan Snapple Lady,” opened up astir her chaotic supplier addiction during an question and reply pinch People published Wednesday.

Kaufman, 67, told nan outlet that she first “tried cocaine” nan nighttime she graduated from Syracuse University “with a mates of different degrees” successful 1980.

“I knew I was an addict, knew I was going to emotion it,” she shared. “And that started a 10-year tally pinch cocaine, wherever I sewage myself successful a batch of problem pinch it.”

Her cocaine addiction became truthful superior that Kaufman’s family organized an involution for her successful 1990, which “ended up redeeming [her] life” and gave her nan spot to participate rehab.

“I needed it,” Kaufman said. “I was truthful grateful to person it. I ended up going to a hospital, and erstwhile I was done pinch my 28 days, which became 45 days, which became 10 months, I spent that clip getting myself together.”

She added, “They told maine that if I didn’t get nan help, I was going to die. There really was nary prime for me.”

However, getting sober besides meant that Kaufman had to “learn really to unrecorded life connected life’s terms” and “not beryllium spoiled” by relying connected her family’s business successful nan alloy industry.

Kaufman, done a friend of her father’s, joined Snapple successful April 1991.

Although she began successful nan audit department, Kaufman quickly climbed her measurement up to go nan caput of PR aft deciding to commencement “doing bully things” for each nan Snapple fans and customers reaching retired to nan company.

“A immense portion of my sobriety was getting retired of my encephalon and doing bully things for different group because I wasn’t truthful bully and I wasn’t truthful bully to me,” she explained.

“I started handling nan letters and realized, ‘Oh my God, not only is this a gift to sobriety to do awesome things for people, but it’s making maine consciousness truthful overmuch amended astir myself. This is God’s work. This is unbelievable, that this conscionable showed itself to me, and I went from there,” Kaufman added.

The Quaker Oats Company yet bought Snapple successful 1994 and decommissioned its beloved Snapple Lady spokesperson successful 2008.

Before that, Kaufman had appeared successful dozens of commercials and made countless nationalist appearances crossed nan US.

But 18 years aft leaving nan company, Kaufman still credits Snapple pinch helping her to enactment sober and allowing her to do “so overmuch more” than she would person if she had ne'er go nan Snapple Lady.

“I couldn’t person done it without Snapple because they saw thing successful maine and they shouted maine on,” she gushed.

“I sewage to spell to Oprah. I did Joan Rivers and David Letterman, his apical 10 list. I did each nan things that you could only dream astir arsenic conscionable a regular person,” Kaufman concluded. “I sewage to do truthful overmuch more.”

If you aliases personification you attraction astir is affected by immoderate of nan issues raised successful this story, telephone SAMHSA’s National Helpline astatine 1-800-662-HELP (4357).