Alcoholism and drug addiction affect all the classes of our society. It affects every race and ethnicity, and gender as well. Thus, it brings no surprise to us that a lot of famous people are subjected to intense drug abuse. Although we have come across some of the most remarkable recovery stories that tell us that there is always hope. We will now look at some of the most famous examples of recovery.
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins is well-known for being the actor with the shortest duration of screen presence in a feature film to win an Academy Award. He is regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation. He has struggled for many years with his alcoholism.
In 1975, Hopkins achieved sobriety with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous and is sober till today.
He said in an interview, “One day I just thought, I’ve had enough of this. It was simple. I didn’t want to go on feeling bad. I don’t miss drinking, not at all. I don’t want ever to go back there.”
This shows that it was sheer dedication and determination that helped him get over his addiction.
Robert Downey Jr
Robert Downey Jr gained immense popularity during the first part of his career, not because of his acting talent. He was a hot news topic back in the day for his heavy drug addiction. He was also arrested on multiple occasions for possession of illegal drugs.
Despite persistent legal complications and significant damage to his acting career, Robert could not give up his addiction.
However, it was only due to a strong resolution that he got over his addiction by joining various 12-step programs.
He summed up his addictive tendencies brilliantly in an interview, “It’s like I’ve got a shotgun in my mouth with my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gunmetal.”
Matthew Perry
Everyone loves Matthew Perry for his portrayal of sarcastic Chandler Bing. However, not many are aware of his struggle with addiction. His addictions were fuelled aggressively by the remarkable success he achieved from Friends. He was swayed by the life that came along with this success.
He said, “I was on ‘Friends’ from age 24 to 34. I was in the white-hot flame of fame. The six of us were just everywhere all the time. From an outsider’s perspective, it would seem like I had it all. It was a very lonely time for me because I was suffering from alcoholism. It was going on before Friends, but it’s a progressive disease. I wasn’t a massive party guy. I wasn’t a bull-in-a-china-shop kind of drinker.”
Matthew recovered from this by enrolling in Minnesota’s Hazelden Foundation rehabilitation center. This helped him get over the Vicodin addiction in 1997.
About his tormenting experience, Matthew told People, “I don’t think there’s anything in the world that I can’t face, having faced that. That was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me. You get whole new respect for yourself and life when you go through something that difficult.”
Edie Falco
Edie Falco achieved great success from her portrayal of Carmela Soprano. Along with this, she also got a great deal of recognition by playing the leading role in Nurse Jackie, where she portrayed a drug-addicted nurse.
This role resonated deeply with Falco. She had a difficult time with alcoholism herself. Today, Falco is an advocate of Alcoholics Anonymous and has been sober since 1992.
She said in an interview, “The addiction piece, I have to say, is a huge part of my life. The helplessness around that, and learning to deal with that, and all the various 12-step programs, I’ve been a part of over the years, and how much they’ve helped me, and how hard it is to love somebody who is going through that and remain distant enough not to let it crush you each time.”
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe achieved tremendous success at a very tender age. This has had a profound effect on his childhood that shaped up his teenage anxieties. He confessed to Off-Camera that he felt that he was being watched. He had no clue about how to deal with this.
And an escape from this feeling of being watched was alcohol. He said, “In my case, the quickest way to forget about the fact that you’re being watched is to get very drunk,”
“And then as you get very drunk, you become aware that ‘Oh, people are watching more now because now I’m getting very drunk, so I should probably drink more to ignore that more.'”
Radcliff had a terrifyingly long struggle against alcoholism. He finally attained sobriety in the year 2010 despite repeated relapse. He succeeded with the help of friends and support of the loved ones.
