Lindsay Takes Chaotic Week in Stride

By Mark Dagostino

01/11/2006 at 12:40 PM EST

It's been a chaotic new year for Lindsay Lohan: First, there was her hospitalization for an asthma attack in Miami, and then a magazine interview quoted her saying she was bulimic and took drugs.

But through it all, the 19-year-old star says she's "blessed."

"I am blessed to have this job and wonderful family," she wrote in an open letter to the press, attacking a Vanity Fair interview in which the magazine claimed she admitted to having bulimia and taking drugs in the past.

Lohan calls the claims "lies," while her mother, Dina, tells PEOPLE her daughter's "words were twisted." She adds: "Lindsay is very honest….Lindsay's a young kid and she's living her life in front of the world, basically."

Vanity Fair's response? "We stand by our story," the magazine said in a statement, adding that there are tape recordings of the Lohan interview.

Dina says her daughter was trying to send a positive message to young girls who are under pressure. "In the other parts of the article, it's a girl growing up who had a really crappy year, and wants other kids to know, 'Don't be suicidal, don't be stupid, you'll make it through.' That was her message, and hopefully girls will get that. I believe honesty prevails."

Despite the whole maelstrom, Lohan is already back in New York, and has been out and about dining with female friends at a cozy pub before hitting a chic club and partying past 3 a.m.

Up next: The actress starts filming Chapter 27, a movie about John Lennon’s killer, in two weeks.

"She's really excited about her career," one friend tells PEOPLE. "She's definitely grown up."