Melissa Gilbert believes prescription drug abuse is disturbingly "pervasive."

The 48-year-old actress and Dancing with the Stars alumnus suffered from alcohol and drug abuse a decade ago.

Melissa currently works with charity The Partnership at Drugfree.org, an organisation that that tries to deter children from imbibing pills recklessly.

The now clean and sober mother of two is shocked by how many people misuse prescription pills.

"This problem is so pervasive," she told ET Online.

"But the thing that's at the heart of it that gets me is that when a parent finds out that their child has a drug problem they immediately feel like it's just them."

Melissa is stunned by the wild behaviour of some current Hollywood celebrities.

Still, the star doesn't believe that she faced as much pressure in her heyday as say Lindsay Lohan or Amanda Bynes do in the digital world now.

"There's something different now that didn't exist when I was growing up," she said. "Now everyone is a paparazzi. Everyone who has a phone can take a picture of you anywhere at anytime, doing anything -- there is absolutely no privacy."