The Hollywood stalwart, who conquered her own drug addictions, said she understands what the troubled starlet is going through.
Minnelli, 64, told Larry King she believes Lohan, 24, will eventually overcome her demons but that she needs the support of everyone around her.
She said: 'I feel sad [for Lohan]. And I feel understanding. And I feel that there's another road to take. It doesn't have to be the way it is. I can't [regret it]. I did it. And that's accepting. And accepting is probably the biggest part of the game.'
She added: 'Yeah [it was hard to beat drug addiction], but not really hard. Not when you have support and your friends in AA, and you're doing stuff you love. And that's what I'm doing.'