Drew Barrymore really opened up to Parade! She talked about a wide range of topic, including what's important to her personally, staying sober, and taking charge of her professional life.

What has she learned about life's ups and downs?

"I've stopped believing in happy endings. I've started believing in good days. At the end of my movie, there's honesty. There's truth. There's peace. What tomorrow will bring is still in question. There is a joy that's earned by failure or triumph. All those things add up to teach us, if we are open to it."

Dealing with long-term sobriety:

"No, I'm not [completely sober]. And I don't claim to be — quite the opposite. I've tried to find the balance. I hope it's balanced."

Drew talks about her love life after the break. Click on the continue reading link below to read more.

Photos by Wenn.com

Her love life:

"Sexual love is secondary to me right now. I've spent a lot of time in my life dedicating myself to love or the pursuit of love or the understanding of love. But for the last few years, my life just hasn't been about that for me... It's not about the boy. It's about something completely different, and it's very refreshing. I'm trying to understand it and relish it."

Her decision to direct 'Whip It':

"This film is so personal to me. I was in that sort of comfort zone in my producing life and I was just looking to executive produce it. I was pretty far removed. I kept getting in the rink and getting on this box with a megaphone so to speak, and seeing there is this great opportunity for this film to be this or that. For weeks I didn't understand where all this passion was coming from and then suddenly I had this revelatory moment in the parking lot. It was like in that moment in Clueless: 'I love Josh.' I went, 'I want to direct this film!'"

Are you interested in seeing 'Whip It'?