Hollywood has long had its association with drugs. There’s something about the arts that brings it out in people from the myth that it makes you more creative to the usage of the likes of cocaine and heroin as a coping mechanism for the stresses that stardom brings.
Even in recent times, we’ve seen the effect it can have on people. Recently, we saw that Matthew Perry died of a ketamine overdose with the Friends star having a long battle with drug addiction throughout his career. Of course, there are the likes of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Heath Ledger, and the iconic Marilyn Monroe to name a few too.
However, there are many stars who have overcome drug addiction and stand as stories of inspiration to the millions of people who are suffering worldwide too.
1. Robert Downey Jr.
There have been few falls and rises quite like Robert Downey Jr. The star burst onto the scene in films like Chaplin and was all set to be the next big thing in Hollywood before he had numerous problems with drugs. It seriously threatened his career until he went for private drug treatment and sought the help he needed.
In fact, if it wasn’t for the generosity of Mel Gibson, who paid a liability insurance bond so Downey could star in The Singing Detective, we perhaps may have never seen Downey Jr. again on screen. But, Gibson did after the movie failed to get insurance for the convicted drug addict and the rest is history. Today, he’s one of the highest earners and most prominent actors in the industry.
2. Drew Barrymore
Like many actors who burst onto the scene as a child, the pressures of fame got to Drew Barrymore and she found herself addicted to drugs from a very young age. She’s spoken candidly about her problems in the past and how she managed to turn it around.
She went through therapy and made that commitment to sobriety, going on to become a Hollywood star as an adult too, appearing in the likes of Charlie’s Angels, The Wedding Singer, and Miss You Already.
3. Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck’s problems with addiction became incredibly problematic between his relationships with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez, who of course he’s now together with again.
Back in 2001, he was hitting the bottle hard, and struggling to manage his career as a result. His addiction became public knowledge and he sought rehab, going through a 30-day program to get his life back on track. He regularly speaks about his addictive behavior and has even spoken out about relapsing from his alcohol addiction, and is a source of inspiration to anyone who has relapsed. After all, he is Batman!
4. Jamie Lee Curtis
A real legend of the silver screen, Jamie Lee Curtis grew up in the spotlight as the daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. However, a few years ago, she spoke out about a sacred addiction to opioids that lasted almost a decade.
Her addiction was the result of having plastic surgery that didn’t work, and she then became addicted to Vicodin. She got sober in 1999 and has been so ever since and has proven to be a beacon of hope for others struggling with addiction.
5. Bradley Cooper
There are few stars on the planet as big as Bradley Cooper right now. He has the world at his feet, but it may not have been that way if he hadn’t overcome addiction in his early 20s. He struggled with both alcohol and drug abuse in his younger years, carving out a destructive pathway that could have hugely damaged his career.
However, he overcame that and worked through his mental health issues to secure some big roles that have since set him on a forward trajectory that has seen him pick up multiple awards and go on to become a brilliant director as well.
