1. Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore is thankfully still with us, but boy, did she have quite the childhood or what? Drew rose to fame at the age of 7 following her hilarious performance as Elliot's younger sister Gertie in Steven Spielberg's masterful E.T., and though she's never had a stint in jail nor seen her career take a nosedive, her life behind the scenes was heading for disaster. She reportedly smoked her first cigarette aged nine, was drinking booze at Hollywood parties aged just 11, and smoked cannabis at age 12. By her early teens she was hooked on cocaine, and a suicide attempt at age 14 put her in rehab. Drew is the ultimate case of a young star being thrown in at the deep end and not being able to handle it, though thankfully, she got help and most people don't even remember this part of her career. Still, it's a frightening reminder that this behaviour can never start too young. Hollywood has to take note. Who's likely to be next to fall prey to the child star curse? Let us know in the comments below.