Addiction affects all walks of life, from your next door neighbor to some A-list celebrities. Often times you see celebrities try to hide their addiction from the limelight - but this sends the message that people should be ashamed about their illness. Fortunately, in recent years, a select amount of famous individuals, like Demi Lovato, have been very open about their struggles. As hard as this is for some celebrities, it can help many other people feel comfortable getting the help they need.
Surprising Famous Recovered Drug Addicts
Hollywood business looks fun and glamorous from the outside, but in truth, it can be an incredibly stressful environment full of tough competition. As a result, celebrities can sometimes turn to drugs and alcohol to alleviate these stressors; often times creating a crutch or dependence to the drug leading to addiction. Thankfully the celebrities in this list have taken it upon themselves to find help at a drug rehab treatment center and are now living clean and sober lives.
Zac Efron
Having beginning in High School Musical and now a promising master of the art, Zac has struggled throughout his career with alcohol and drugs - mostly cocaine. It wasn’t until he was the center of the limelight in 2013 that he decided to obtain some professional help. After a few months in treatment, Zac Efron is living a fulfilling and drug-free life today. Have you seen Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil yet!?!?!?
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe (known more famously as “THE” Harry Potter) also battled addiction. For whatever reason, it is very common for adolescent movie stars to turn to drugs. With all the money and fame that came to Daniel during his H.P. days, he had a hard time dealing with the high expectations and turned to alcohol to cope.
“I can honestly say I never drank at work on Harry Potter,” he said. ”I went into work still drunk, but I never drank at work. I can point to many scenes where I’m just gone. Dead behind the eyes.”
Radcliffe, who has been sober since 2010, said that he attempted to stop drinking multiple times, and eventually did so with the help of friends. It appears Daniel’s battle with addiction may have been just as hard as his with “he who shall not be named.”
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert’s acting career started long before he was known as the witty and funny Iron Man. Downey’s career started in the ’80s playing a variety of different roles including classics like Weird Science and The Pickup Artist with Molly Ringwald. He even stared in a movie called Less Than Zero, playing a rich kid whose life went off the rails amid a severe heroin addiction. Ironically enough his life seemed to follow suit. One recorded event involved Robert wondering into his neighbor’s house and passing out in their 10-year-old’s bed.
It wasn’t until 2003 when his wife Susan Downwy have Robert an ultimatum that he eventually became clean and sober. the actor credits a combination of 12-step programs, yoga, meditation and therapy with keeping him sober.
Johnny Depp
“Why is the Rum gone?” A famous quote from the Pirates of the Caribean takes on a whole new meaning when learning that the actor struggled with alcohol and drugs. Mr. Depp used drugs during his early years as an actor but stopped during his late 30s and early 40s. According to a Rolling Stones article, Johnny started abusing drugs during his marriage to Amber Heard; their marriage lasted just 18 months. After their divorce, Johny began to start spiraling out of control - losing much of the money he earned with Pirates of the Caribean spending close to $30,000 a month on wine alone.
In recent years Depp has received large amounts of negative attention after allegations about domestic violence and his substance abuse issues. Depp has not been very open about his drug usage, but there is no evidence on whether or not he has been to rehab. According to recent news, Johnny Depp may still be struggling with alcohol abuse.
Micheal J. Fox
Known for his lead role in Steven Spielberg’s Back to the Future, Michael J. Fox has been described as an “incurable optimist,” but he hadn’t always had such a positive attitude. When he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 29 he dealt with the news by hiding behind alcohol.
Instead of coping in a healthy way, “I responded by drinking too much,” he said. “I drank to obliterate it, to make it go away.”
One day he woke up on the couch with spilled beer-cans on the floor with his wife and 3-year-old son staring at him. He vowed to never drink again. With the continuing help of his wife and his therapist helping him find more appropriate ways to cope, Michael is still sober to this day.
We believe it is important to share these stories to display that addiction has no boundaries. We are all people, no matter how much fame or money we have we can all be stressed and feel pressure around us. If we don’t learn the necessary ways to cope with these things it can be easy for us to turn to drugs to alleviate these types of stressors. Once we start it can be almost impossible to stop without help. Learn from these celebrities: as tough as it can be try to be open about your addiction not ashamed. This is the only way to move forward.