5 Celebrities That Beat Addiction and Stayed Sober
Modern celebrities are often known as much for their outrageous lifestyles and personal eccentricities as for their talents. What once was only rumored and whispered about in gossip circles is now discussed openly. Drug and alcohol use and addiction is publically admitted, even flaunted.
Celebrities lead hectic and pressure-filled lives, and always being in the public eye, as well as pressure from their peers and the corrosive effects of wealth, lead many to turn to alcohol and drugs for relief.
Yet for every story of a celebrity lost in a whirlpool of substance abuse, there’s another about one that, against all odds, kicked their addictions and learned to lead a sober life. Here are five celebrities who did just that.
Martin Sheen
Actor Charlie Sheen is infamous for his very public antics while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and despite several stints in rehab, is still struggling with his problems, and his career has suffered. But his father Martin fought his own battle with alcohol and won.
He credits his Catholic faith with giving him the strength to quit, and he’s very active in Alcoholics Anonymous. He says he first got involved with AA in an attempt to help Charlie, but wound up helping himself.
Jamie Lee Curtis
The 51 year old actress says she became addicted to painkillers after surgery in 1998, and also had a serious drinking problem.
But after years of sobriety, the actress has said, “My recovery is the single greatest accomplishment of my life. Without that, the rest of my life would have fallen apart… Recovery is an acceptance that your life is in a shambles and you have to change it. I was lucky, I didn’t have to lose anything.”
Vanilla Ice
The 90’s rapper has admitted to extended drug binges at the height of his popularity. He says of those years, ”Basically, I had a weekend that lasted for years. When you have such success at a young age, you have all the money and fame in the world, and you can’t even buy yourself happiness. I didn’t know my purpose in life.”
But he says he hasn’t used drugs or alcohol for 17 years, and he’s taking his health seriously, even becoming a vegetarian.
Robert Downey Jr.
The actor’s drug addiction nearly ruined his career. He was arrested several times for drug possession and endured some embarrassing public displays of insobriety.
But he’s been clean since 2001, and his career is soaring with his success in the Iron Man movies and Sherlock Holmes. He gives credit to his wife for her support during his recovery, and also to his interest in yoga and the martial arts.
Drew Barrymore
Probably no celebrity has had more publicly talked about addiction problems than Barrymore. According to her autobiography Little Girl Lost, she started drinking heavily at the age of 9, smoking marijuana at ten, and using cocaine on a regular basis at age twelve.
She was in rehabilitation at thirteen. Although she says she’s made great progress in her attempts to stay straight, she admits she doesn’t live a completely sober lifestyle. Her half sister Jessica was recently found dead of a drug overdose.
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