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As his career failed to take off in the 1990s, the country singer turned more often to alcohol and drugs. By the time he had his first No. 1 hit, he was in a cycle of recovery and relapse. He credits his wife, actress Nicole Kidman, with getting him into successful treatment shortly after their marriage in 2006. Urban has won several Grammys and was the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year in 2005.
Additionally, many celebrities have a strong work ethic and a high drive for success. These qualities are typically also seen in individuals who have a substance abuse disorder. A substance abuse disorder affects the reward and pleasure center in the brain. When celebrities mix societal pressures and unhealthy relationships, it can lead to addiction. The model and actress says turning 40 inspired her to come forward with her story of addiction and recovery in hopes of helping others. She says she started using drugs as a child, and at the height of her modeling career in the 1990s, she was regularly misusing alcohol and cocaine.
Why Are Celebrities and Alcohol Addiction so Common?
Fellow musician (and frequent touring partner) Elton John begged Joel to get treatment for alcoholism. In an early 2011 issue of Rolling Stone, John is quoted as saying that Joel needed to check into “tough” rehab, and that alcoholism was getting in the way of his life and career. Each year in July, celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D looks forward to celebrating another year of sobriety on social media.
How much is too much drinking?
Heavy drinking includes binge drinking and has been defined for women as 4 or more drinks on any day or 8 or more per week, and for men as 5 or more drinks on any day or 15 or more per week.
“It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I had a problem with drinking because I was one of those drinkers where [it was all or nothing],” the English singer said. “If I enjoy my drinking, I sober house can’t control it and if I control my drinking, I don’t enjoy it. That was a real wake-up call for me.” The actor first checked into rehab in 2001 and has continued to work on his sobriety through the years.
Compassionate Addiction
He sought treatment in 1990 and established the Elton John AIDS Foundation 2 years later. Betty Ford, former First Lady and wife to President Gerald Ford, was an outspoken proponent of the feminist movement. Her approval ratings were much higher than her husband’s, at around 75%, and people admired her outspokenness and candor on a variety of issues. Still, she battled all along with an addiction to alcohol and painkillers.
In 2015, he described how alcohol affected virtually everything in his life, “I wouldn’t have been able to have access to myself or other people, or even been able to take in other people, if I hadn’t changed my life. I never would have been able to have the relationships that I do. I never would have been able to take care of my father the way I did when he was sick. So many things.” Cooper’s statements attest to the fact that alcohol affects more than just yourself — it also affects those around you. In 2016, following his divorce from actress Amber Heard, Johnny Depp says he felt he had reached a new low point in life. Get professional help from an online addiction and mental health counselor from BetterHelp.
List of deaths through alcohol
He sees his personality as naturally addictive, crediting his close friends with helping him develop healthier coping strategies. Following an overdose in 2018, Lovato has been working on their recovery, stating that inpatient addiction treatment and meditation have been a massive help with her sobriety. The “Gossip Girl” star founded Betty Buzz, a line of nonalcoholic mixers in 2021 because “mixers are the unsung heroes of the drink world and deserve just as much love as alcohol,” Lively shared on the Betty Buzz site. His desire to give up alcohol came after missing an urgent call from his mother. He credits his success as a father, husband and actor with getting sober, per Variety. “All of my understanding about life has come from getting sober and being in recovery,” said Lowe.
- “I just want to wish everyone a happy new year and also to say I’m celebrating 47 years today of sobriety,” he said in the clip.
- In 2008 she even published a book about her struggles, called “Wishful Drinking”.In the book, she writes “Happy is one of the many things I’m likely to be over the course of a day and certainly over the course of a lifetime.
- Over the years, she has discussed her struggles with drinking and how she turned to it as a child actor, attending Hollywood parties with her mother at just nine years old.
- Sobriety isn’t always easy, especially in the world of Hollywood.
“That was the first time I ever realized I had a problem with drugs and alcohol. The guy that I think is doing mean humor is telling me the truth and it changed my entire life,” Cooper added, per USA Today. According to a 2019 study, quitting alcohol can improve mental well-being in women. Researchers found the lifetime abstainers had the highest level of mental well-being. Society’s view of drug addiction has changed very little since Osler’s and Halsted’s time and is still frequently approached with secrecy and denial.
I don’t want to go into details, but I drank a lot and it was daily – I mean nightly. In March 2022, she signed a deal to star in three Netflix projects. Lohan is among the celebrities affected by alcohol who have since made an inspiring comeback.
Pinkett-Smith realized she had gone too far with drinking when she had gone through two bottles of wine and was reaching for a third bottle. Thankfully, she was strong enough to see the problem and quit cold turkey that day. She can acknowledge that many would be better off going to alcohol rehab, but for her, she just wanted to quit, and so she did. Most people need professional treatment and support and don’t have the strength to quit even when they want to.
When Eva Mendes quietly checked into rehab in 2008, it was met with general shock. She has never spoken publicly about any addiction issues and has not had the regular run-ins with the law seen in other celebrities. Since then, she has consistently praised those who decide to get sober and states that it is the best decision she ever made.
- That’s not to be f–king dramatic — that’s just what it is,” Macklemore, who relapsed in 2011 and 2014, said on the podcast.
- Pinkett-Smith realized she had gone too far with drinking when she had gone through two bottles of wine and was reaching for a third bottle.
- He credits his wife, actress Nicole Kidman, with getting him into successful treatment shortly after their marriage in 2006.
- “I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be.”