Answer Addiction

Tag: celebs & sobriety

  • Will Arnett Credits Community With Keeping Him Sober

    Will Arnett Credits Community With Keeping Him Sober

    “Sobriety to me is a gift. It’s something that I was fortunate enough to be able to receive and I’m very, very grateful on a daily basis.”

    Will Arnett, who is most recognized for playing George Oscar Bluth II (G.O.B.) on Arrested Development, credited his sober community with helping him overcome alcoholism when he received the Spirit of Sobriety Award at the Brent Shapiro Foundation Summer Spectacular last Saturday night (Sept. 21).

    “Sobriety to me is a gift,” Arnett said, according to Variety. “It’s something that I was fortunate enough to be able to receive and I’m very, very grateful on a daily basis.”

    He said that his decision to get sober has had a ripple effect on the people around him.

    “Sobriety has touched so many people, not just me but so many people in my life, my kids, my family,” he said.  

    He Relapsed In 2018 

    Arnett got sober more than 18 years ago after he noticed he was drinking too much. He briefly relapsed in 2016 while working on Flaked, his Netflix comedy series about a man in recovery. When that happened, he was able to reconnect with his recovery community, which has helped him stay sober.

    “I have been on the receiving end of a lot of kindness in my life and that kindness is what has allowed me to be here tonight passing the message on to others who need help,” Arnett said at the gala. “Community is the opposite of addiction. The more conversations we can have, the more people we can help.” 

    Celebrating Sobriety For A Good Cause

    The Brent Shapiro Foundation was started by Robert and Linell Shapiro, who lost their son Brent to a drug overdose in 2005. The foundation regularly brings together Hollywood stars to share their sobriety stories and raise money for addiction treatment and awareness. 

    “I think early education is a big key,” Linell Shapiro said at the event. “Being with your kids, being open about it, talking about drugs and their influences. I think if you start young enough, people lots of times don’t want to do that but if you start young enough and put it in the right way, it will really stay with a child.”

    Actress Eva Longoria hosted the event, and said that she has been touched by the work that the Shapiros have done in honor of their son. 

    “I do want to say as a new mother, this foundation and what they are doing is extremely important and it’s why we are here tonight,” she said. “The work that Bob and Linell have done over the last 14 years is remarkable and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Jenna Jameson Celebrates Sober Milestone

    Jenna Jameson Celebrates Sober Milestone

    Jameson took to Instagram to celebrate her fourth year of sobriety. 

    Jenna Jameson celebrated four years sober on Sunday, marking the occasion with a heartfelt Instagram post.

    “4 years. We do recover. We do overcome. We do rebuild. But we never forget,” Jameson wrote in the caption.

    The 45-year-old former adult film star, born Jenna Massoli, hit her sober milestone on September 22. She shared it with her Instagram followers by posting a graphic announcing, “You are clean 4 years.”

    Fighting Stigma

    “I wish the stigmas around addiction would stop,” she continued in her post. “I wish people would stop saying things like ‘Are you high?’ I wish someday people in active addiction and new recovery weren’t shamed.”

    “So many people are suffering, not only the addicts, but their friends and family. I am public about my struggle and eventual healing to help others, but we can all be the light for someone.”

    “Leave judgment to God and reach out in service of others,” she wrote. “If you’re reading this, addicted and afraid, I pray you find the strength to seek help. This subject needs to be less taboo. I love you.”

    Last year Jameson marked three years sober by posting a side-by-side comparison showing her dramatic weight loss. “I can’t begin to explain what sobriety has brought to my life,” she wrote at the time. “I’m not the intensely self centered ‘the world owes me something’ woman anymore. I am now the ‘what can I do for the world’ woman.”

    Mental Health Reflections

    The mother of three and amateur conservative Twitter pundit has used her platform on IG to not only reflect on recovery, but depression and anxiety as well.

    She wrote in a Sept. 3 post, “When I was young, I listened to every single criticism about my looks, my talent, my personality, even my coping skills… and I adjusted to them to please people. It was tiresome. It depleted me. By the time I turned 40, I felt empty… The past few years I’ve took inventory, I’ve begun to live my life for me, and slowly the true Jenna has come back to life. I forgot who she was. I was scared to show her, to really show her, vulnerable and flawed.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Danny Trejo Celebrates 51 Years Sober

    Danny Trejo Celebrates 51 Years Sober

    “My life is just so beautiful since I took alcohol and drugs out of it,” Trejo said.

    Danny Trejo celebrated over a half-century sober this month. The actor posted a photo on social media of himself holding a cake with the caption, “Celebrating 51 years of being clean and sober with the guys.”

    The actor, who is promoting the new Rob Zombie film 3 From Hell, shared with Entertainment Tonight, “My life is just so beautiful since I took alcohol and drugs out of it.”

    He added, “God has blessed me with great friends, a great support system and great people around me. That’s what a person needs, a great support system.”

    First Encounter With Drugs

    Trejo, 75, has come a long way.

    His uncle introduced him to weed when he was eight years old. And from then on, he would use “whatever drugs were available,” he told Prison Legal News in 2011.

    “I thought that drugs were my answer,” he said in a 2015 AARP documentary. “As long as I stayed loaded, I’m okay. But life would turn into chaos.”

    Trejo spent more than a decade in various maximum-security California state prisons, making a name for himself as a boxing champ “in every institution I was in.”

    When he left prison for the final time, he dedicated himself to serving others and became a drug counselor, connecting with people in juvenile halls, prisons and more.

    His Big Break

    That’s when he got his big break. He found himself on the set of the film Runaway Train (1985) while responding to a call from a production assistant who needed support so he wouldn’t use drugs. While Trejo was on set, he was recruited by a former fellow inmate who recognized him to teach Eric Roberts how to box for the film. The director was so pleased with his work that he put him in the film as a boxer.

    “Everything good that has happened to me has happened as a direct result of helping someone else,” said Trejo. “My passion is talking to young people… My message is, staying away from drugs and alcohol, and education is the key to anything you want to do.”

    Trejo was first introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous in 1959. “Once you know about it, it’s always there, it’s always an alternative,” he told Prison Legal News.

    A Long, Successful Career

    The iconic Hollywood “tough guy” has been in at least 124 films. And he’s managed to stay humble despite his impressive filmography. “I don’t think I am a big Hollywood star,” he told the Hollywood Reporter in 2016. “I won’t let myself. I can’t, because I’ve seen too many actors with the feeling of entitlement, and I want to slap the shit out of them.”

    Having been through so much in his life, Trejo learned the hard way, by being incarcerated, that substance abuse is not the answer.

    “I was an addict, an alcoholic, and I know that road,” he said in the AARP documentary. “That road leads to death, institutions or insanity.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Demi Moore: Sobriety Lets Me Experience Life

    Demi Moore: Sobriety Lets Me Experience Life

    The “Ghost” actress details her journey to sobriety and her mother’s battle with addiction in her new memoir. 

    Actress Demi Moore is able to fully experience life now that she’s sober, according to the cover story of the October issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

    In the interview, she revealed that she has struggled with substance abuse for a long time, first getting sober in her 20s, but found herself struggling again in her 40s. In 2012, a woman called EMS on behalf of Moore, who seemed to be having a seizure after smoking an unknown substance.

    “She smoked… something… It’s not marijuana but it’s similar to incense,” the panicked woman said in the 911 call.

    Now, in her 50s, she is back on the sober train.

    “In retrospect, what I realized is that when I opened the door [again], it was just giving my power away,” Moore explained. “I guess I would think of it like this: It was really important to me to have natural childbirth because I didn’t want to miss a moment. And with that I experienced pain,” she added. “So part of being sober is, I don’t want to miss a moment of life, of that texture, even if that means being in—some pain.”

    Childhood Trauma

    Moore is set to release her memoir, Inside Out, soon. In it, she writes about her traumatizing experiences growing up with her mother who struggled with her own substance abuse problems. In the book, Moore recounted a time in which she was forced into a position where she had to revive her own mother after an overdose.

    “The next thing I remember is using my fingers, the small fingers of a child, to dig the pills my mother had tried to swallow out of her mouth while my father held it open and told me what to do,” Moore wrote. “Something very deep inside me shifted then, and it never shifted back. My childhood was over.”

    Breaking The Cycle

    Now sober, she credits her three children, Rumer, Scout and Tallulah, and their father, ex-husband Bruce Willis, for helping her get her head on straight.

    “My daughters offered me an opportunity to start to change the generational pattern. To be able to break the cycles,” she revealed.

    Last year, she spoke at a Women’s Recovery House event where she was being honored.

    “Early in my career, I was spiraling down a path of real self-destruction, and no matter what successes I had, I just never felt good enough. I had absolutely no value for myself,” she said.

    “And this self-destructive path, it very quickly brought me to a real crisis point… Two people, who I barely knew, stepped up… and they presented me with an opportunity—that was more like an ultimatum—unless I was dead, that I better show up.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Artie Lange Is Seven Months Sober & Home From Rehab

    Artie Lange Is Seven Months Sober & Home From Rehab

    Lange took to Twitter to announce his return home and his intention to start touring again.

    Comedian Artie Lange is home from rehab, sober and ready to begin touring again, he announced on Twitter. 

    Lange posted a photo on Tuesday (Sept. 10) that showed him looking healthier than he did earlier in the year. 

    “Great to be home!” Lange wrote. “7 months 14 days sober but one day at a time. Lots of new stories to tell.  Will announce some new tour dates on Friday. Thanks for the support. Love you all.”

    Lange, who was a fixture on The Howard Stern Show, has had a long-time battle with addiction. Lange was arrested in February for violating his parole by testing positive for cocaine and morphine. The parole was the result of 2017 possession charges. 

    Sober Living Home

    At the time, Lange’s representative said that he would be entering treatment. “It’s time,” the rep said. In March, it was reported that Lange was in a sober living home in New Jersey. In April, a friend posted a video of Lange working on a garbage truck to Lange’s twitter account. 

    “We heard from Artie this morning, HA! -> “It’s true i’m working to satisfy my drug court program. I work with great people. Nothing wrong with a little hard work. Love you all and can’t wait to be back on stage,” the accompanying post read. 

    In May, Lange posted a video of himself pumping gas at a New Jersey station. 

    “I gotta pump gas for 10 more days and then I’m satisfying the program I think. If this gets back to Howard, tell him I love him. I love him to death and I miss him,” Lange said. “I gotta pump gas! I’ll be back onstage soon, though. I promise.”

    Violating Parole

    However, later that month Lange was arrested for again violating the term of his parole. 

    “Lange is non-compliant. Consequently, he will be taken into custody by officers from the Essex County Sheriff’s Office. He will be returned to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark,” an official said at the time. 

    Initial reports were that Lange would be in treatment throughout the summer. However, in late August a source told Radar Online that Lange would be in rehab indefinitely. 

    “Artie is doing well and staying sober,” the source said. 

    Radar reported that Lange could still face charges in relation to drug possession or his parole violations. 

    Lange’s former co-host Howard Stern opened up in May about how difficult it has been to watch his friend grapple with drug addiction. 

    “What’s happening with Artie makes me very sad. We’ve lost touch, and that’s my doing,” he said. “I got my fingers crossed for the guy. And it wasn’t a clean break. It was many years of wanting Artie to get help. I know that a lot of fans want me to talk about Artie and feel it’s a cop-out for me not to. I’ll take that. I don’t want to do anything that would rock his boat.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Ben Affleck, One Year Sober, Is “In A Great Place”

    Ben Affleck, One Year Sober, Is “In A Great Place”

    The Triple Frontier actor, who completed a 40-day stay in treatment for alcoholism last year, is doing well.

    Actor Ben Affleck is officially one year sober, after a long-time battle with alcoholism. After a successful 40-day stint at a treatment center, the actor-director is now healthy, happy and dedicating himself to his loved ones.

    “Ben is in a great place both in his recovery and life,” someone close to Affleck told People. “He continues to want to be the best father and friend he can be.”

    This is especially true for actress Jennifer Garner, Affleck’s ex-wife, and the three kids they had together: 13-year-old Violet, 10-year-old Seraphina, and 7-year-old Samuel.

    “He and Jen do amazingly well at co-parenting the children,” reveals People’s source. “They have shared a great summer with the kids doing outings, travels, etc. They have a very trusting and special relationship… Ben’s relationship with Jen is strong. She’s really supportive of Ben, and they work very closely on parenting their kids.”

    Self-Care

    The key to his happiness lies in being able to find time to take care of himself.

    “Ben has found balance between his work and home life,” told the source. “He remains committed to a number of treatment and wellness methods that focus on his health.”

    Affleck’s most recent leg of rehab became public knowledge when he was spotted in a car with Garner, who was driving him to a treatment center on August 22 of last year. It would be Affleck’s third time in.

    The actor went public about his struggles the following October in a post on Instagram.

    Going Public

    “This week I completed a forty-day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction and remain in outpatient care,” wrote Affleck in the post. “Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle. Because of that, one is never really in or out of treatment. It is full-time commitment. I am fighting for myself and my family.”

    He spoke more about his struggles on Today earlier this year, speaking about how he lives with alcoholism but is determined to not let it define him.

    “It doesn’t have to subsume my whole identity and be everything but it is something that you have to work at,” he said.

    Now, he’s clear-minded and spending more time with his children.

    “He is really enjoying his summer with the family,” another source told People. “Ben was just doting over his kids.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Dylan McDermott Celebrates 35 Years Of Sobriety

    Dylan McDermott Celebrates 35 Years Of Sobriety

    The prolific actor took to Instagram to celebrate his sober milestone.

    Actor Dylan McDermott celebrated 35 years sober this week. In a heartfelt Instagram post (Aug. 19), the actor shouted out Alcoholics Anonymous and his adoptive mother, Tony award-winning playwright Eve Ensler, for helping him on his journey.

    “Today is my Sober Birthday. 35 years! Staying sober has been my greatest accomplishment. I say that because I was able to show up for myself in every way possible,” The Practice actor said in the caption accompanying a photo of himself. “In the most turbulent and best of times I had the rock of the 12 steps to guide me. I was able to be a father, son, brother and friend.”

    The Golden Globe winner, whose adoptive mother is Tony Award-winning playwright Eve Ensler, mentioned his birth parents in his post. “Proud of this day because many in my family including my birth mother and father struggled with addiction. It was brutal to witness. I’ve also seen many who didn’t make it and that truly breaks my heart.”

    Childhood Trauma

    In 2012, Today reported that the mystery surrounding McDermott’s mother’s 1967 death had been solved after authorities reopened the case.

    Five-year-old McDermott was outside the apartment when his mother, Diane, was shot dead by her boyfriend John Sponza.

    Sponza claimed at the time that Diane had died by suicide, but upon further investigation after McDermott later inquired about the case with Connecticut police, her death was ruled murder by Sponza.

    According to the Republican-American, McDermott explained to the police the reason he pursued his mother’s case. “In order for me to survive and to get where I am today, I needed to bury that moment in my life deep within myself,” police reported him as saying. “I’ve come to the point in my life where I’m able to begin to process all of this.”

    Recovery Journey

    The trauma of witnessing his mother’s death was no doubt part of McDermott’s healing journey.

    He concluded his Instagram post by giving credit to those who helped him along the way and encouraging treatment for those who need it.

    “If you’re hurting please get help,” he wrote. “The loving hand of #AlcoholicsAnonymous is always available! Without the guidance of my sponsor and @EveEnsler I would not be here today. I will be forever grateful to them!”

    “I look forward to many more years of sobriety, trudging the road of happy destiny…”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Ty Dolla $ign Is Sober And Making Hits

    Ty Dolla $ign Is Sober And Making Hits

    For his newest album, being clear-headed made a big difference, Ty Dolla $ign said in a recent interview with SPIN. 

    Ty Dolla $ign may not be a household name, but the artist and producer is collaborating on some of the biggest hits in the music industry, working with everyone from Kanye to Christina Aguilera.

    Since working with Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney on the 2015 song “FourFiveSeconds,” Ty Dolla $ign has become one of the most well-respected producers in the industry, and he says it’s in part due to his newfound sobriety. 

    For his newest album, being clear-headed made a big difference, Ty Dolla $ign said in a recent interview with SPIN. 

    “I stopped smoking weed. That was cool, to just completely just clear my head and write songs,” he said. “Before I would just go straight in the booth and freestyle everything and sometimes on this one, I wrote shit on my phone or on a piece of paper, tried to map it out harder.” 

    Confidence Boost

    As he got sober, Ty grew in his confidence, helped by one well-known rapper. 

    “I had a meeting one time with Kanye and played him the album,” Ty said. “He was like, ‘Bro, nah. You need to do what you do. Add more bass, add more drums, add more … the real shit, that’s what no one else is doing.’ That conversation definitely inspired me and made me go back and go crazy with the live instruments.” 

    Eventually, he does want to be a household name. 

    “Every time you hear a record come on, you’re gonna know it’s me, automatic, just off of how it sounds. Just like what Timbaland’s done, Dr. Dre’s done, Metro Boomin. All the greatest.” 

    Other Sober Musicians

    Although the music industry is known for hard partying, many big-name musicians from Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler to Elton John have celebrated their sobriety. John recently celebrated 29 years sober. 

    He post an AA medallion on social media, saying, “29 years ago today, I was a broken man. I finally summoned up the courage to say 3 words that would change my life: ‘I need help.’ Thank you to all the selfless people who have helped me on my journey through sobriety. I am eternally grateful.”

    Even rapper Lil Xan, whose stage name is a riff on Xanax, has detailed his effort to get sober in part because of the overdose death of Mac Miller. In July, he detailed he relapse, but said he is still determined to get clean.

    “There’s no shame in relapsing it happens to anyone who goes through these issues,” he wrote. “I’ve been feeling like death from withdrawals but I know once I’m sober I’ll feel amazing.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix Talks Addiction, Childhood Trauma

    Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix Talks Addiction, Childhood Trauma

    The Papa Roach singer revealed his struggles with addiction and expressed sympathy to those suffering from trauma.

    Jacoby Shaddix, the lead singer of Papa Roach, got candid about his struggles with recovery in a conversation with Philadelphia radio station WMMR-FM. Shaddix touched on his own sober journey, the childhood trauma he experienced, and how he feels for others who have had their lives affected by trauma.

    The rock star is now sober, but he said that the path to clarity was not an easy one for him, nor one he could have walked alone.

    “I had a mean struggle with it, man. I tried to get sober for the first time when I was 27 and struggled with it for years and fell off and got back on,” he recalled. “Then I finally found a support group of other musicians that were traveling the road and living the life that I was living, ’cause it’s quite unique, in a sense. And I found a way to do it and a way to find some peace.”

    Rock Bottom

    Shaddix was inspired to get sober after hitting rock bottom. In a moment of clarity, he realized he was only hurting himself and others.

    “My behaviors and my actions and the ways that I was treating myself and my loved ones, it was just not acceptable. I was just drinking to numb my feelings and try to escape it, but the problem was always there,” Shaddix admitted. “I was like, ‘Alright, it’s time to face it.’ I don’t wanna repeat this cycle of broken family and broken children.”

    His own struggles with substance abuse stems from his own traumatic experiences as a child.

    “I grew up and didn’t know how to deal with my emotions and my feelings of the dark experience that happened to me as a child and the brokenness that I carried from that,” Shaddix said. “Trauma, it’s real. Trauma affects people in a lot of different ways, and you’ve gotta find a way to deal with it. I’m still unpackaging all this stuff from my youth and coming to peace with it.”

    Trauma & Addiction

    Now that Shaddix is sober, he is sensitive to the trauma of others, especially military vets.

    “You see a lot of U.S. military veterans are coming back and they’ve experienced just horrific traumas… and my heart just goes out to them,” he said. “I did a bunch of research on homelessness in America, and a large portion of our [homeless] population are U.S. military veterans.”

    His own father was a Vietnam veteran who passed his trauma onto Shaddix.

    “My father was a Vietnam veteran and he had that experience and I saw how that played out in his life,” he revealed. “Man, the horrors of war… the trauma doesn’t end on the battlefield, people carry that trauma home. Soldiers got families, and you see how it affects the family and the kids.”

    Shaddix urged anyone listening to seek help if they feel like they need it.

    “The struggle for people is real, and I just encourage anybody that’s out there struggling, if you’ve got these demons that you’re dealing with, I guarantee there’s somebody around you that wants to help you, and do not be silent about your struggle,” he advised. “If you’re alone in this, it’s gonna take you out. If you don’t speak up, it’s just gonna take you down farther and farther and farther. So speak. Call a hotline if you’re struggling with life itself. There’s a lot of avenues for people to go out there and get help.”

    If you or someone you know may be at risk for suicide, immediately seek help. You are not alone.

    Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255)

    Call 911

    Send a text to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741. This free text-message service provides 24/7 support to those in crisis.

    Call a friend or family member to stay with you until emergency medical personnel arrive to help you.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Kelly Osbourne Celebrates Sober Milestone: I'm Overwhelmed With Gratitude

    Kelly Osbourne Celebrates Sober Milestone: I'm Overwhelmed With Gratitude

    The singer posted a tribute on Instagram to all the people who have supported her in her sober journey.

    Kelly Osbourne celebrated two years sober in a post on Instagram on Friday. The 34-year-old singer and TV personality broke down exactly how long two years is in smaller units: 24 months, 731 days, or 17,529 hours. In her caption, she thanked everyone who stuck with her for those 63 million seconds.

    “I woke up this morning feeling overwhelmed with gratitude. I can’t even put into words how much my life has changed over the last 2 years,” she wrote. “To the friends and family that have supported me on this Journey thank you I love you all so much. If you are new to sobriety stick to it life really does get good.”

    Sober Journey

    The road to sobriety hasn’t been without its hiccups for Osbourne. Her IG post celebrates two years since her relapse in 2017. Last year, she posted on Instagram to celebrate one year sober and captioned it describing the struggles she faced in sobriety.

    “This past year has been one of the hardest years of my life and I feel it’s time [I] share that with you guys,” she posted. “To cut a long story short things got really dark. I gave up on everything in my life but most of all I gave up on myself. Life on life’s terms became too much for me to handle. The only way I knew how to function was to self-medicate and go from project to project so I never had to focus on what was really going on with me. Something had to give… and it did.”

    She also addressed why she had to disappear from the public eye for a time.

    “I have [spent] the past year truly working on my mind body and soul! I had to take a step out of the public eye away from work and give myself a chance to heal and figure out who the f— I really am without a camera in my face,” the singer revealed.

    Osbourne has long struggled with substance use. Her first encounter with drugs came when she was just 13 years old when she was prescribed liquid Vicodin after a medical procedure.

    Chasing Confidence 

    “I had my tonsils taken out, and they gave me liquid Vicodin,” she told People in 2009. “I found, when I take this, people like me. I’m having fun, I’m not getting picked on. It became a confidence thing.”

    Osbourne began to chase that confidence boost any way she could.

    “I have crazy anxiety. I was walking around with a constant sweat moustache,” she says. “So what’s the first thing you do? Go to a doctor. They give you Xanax, Klonopin, Valium. I’d start off taking them as prescribed. Then I’d be like, ‘These are magic pills! Take 10!’”

    After four rehab stints, six detox stays, and one stint at a mental institution, she finally pulled it together and made the choice to get sober.

    “For me, it was either I was going to die, or I was going to get help,” Osbourne said. “I decided that I wanted to live, that life is worth living and that I have an incredible family and friends and why am I allowing myself to be so miserable?”

    View the original article at thefix.com