In 2015, over 15 million American adults over 18 qualified as having an alcohol use disorder (AUD), also known as alcohol addiction and alcoholism. That’s 6.2% of people in that age group. AUD can have a life-altering impact, and many people have struggled with alcohol addiction throughout their life. Several celebrities, historical figures, and politicians are not exceptions. They are frequently subjected to excessive strain and public scrutiny, which can result in mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. These, too, can lead to alcohol addiction as a way of coping. In the end, while some struggled with AUD their entire lives, some set high determination to stay sober again.
So what are the reasons that affect celebrities' addictions? What can we learn about mental health and alcohol addiction from celebrities in recovery? Let's hear the stories of celebrities on why they quit drinking.
#1 Jessica Simpson
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Jessica Simpson opened up to People about her issues with medications and booze, which she will detail in her upcoming memoir, Open Book. In 2017, the singer revealed that she had struck rock bottom. Simpson claimed she was killing herself with medications and alcohol, and she sought counseling in late 2017 to maintain her sobriety. “I had room for so many wonderful moments that I would have missed: sober for the first time in my studio and seeing Maxwell grab a guitar. Ace in pajamas he put on himself, proudly adding a sticker to his bedtime chart. …There’s no better gift I can give my kids, there’s no better gift I can give my husband. More importantly, there’s no better gift I can give myself.”
#2 Amber Valletta
Source: Diva
Amber Valletta, a model, and actress, admitted to being addicted to drugs and alcohol since she was eight years old. Valletta claimed she had a multi-million-dollar agreement as a successful model and went up to film a campaign high and inebriated. She claimed that she even showed up at her uncle's bedside when he was dying, high, drunk, and looking for a heroin dealer. Valletta quit drinking at the age of 25 because she didn't want to die.
#3 Drew Barrymore
Source: Networth & Fortunes
Drew Barrymore struggled with drug and alcohol addiction as a child. Barrymore talked about her first drink at the age of nine in her memoirs
"Little Girl Lost", which was released when she was only 14 years old, and how she began smoking marijuana at the age of ten or cocaine at the age of twelve. When she was just 13 years old, the actress underwent rehab. Her mother sent her back for therapy when she attempted suicide at the age of 14, and she spent three months with musician David Crosby and his wife Jan Dance, both substance abuse survivors.
#4 Carrie Fisher
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Carrie Fisher, a well-known actress, was similarly candid about her alcoholism and drug addiction, and in 2008, she published a book called
"Wishful Drinking", in which she detailed her difficult journey. Since working on the Star Wars franchise, the actress had been in and out of drug and alcohol rehab. She admitted that she understood she was doing a little more than other people and that she was losing control of the situation. She has also spoken openly about mental illness and her struggle with bipolar disorder.
#5 Kristin Davis
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Kristin Davis, star of
"Sex and the City," has been upfront about her alcoholism and believes it is a sickness. She told Health.com, “I’m a recovering alcoholic. I’ve never hid it, but I’ve been sober the whole time I’ve been famous, so it wasn’t like I had to go to rehab publicly.”
#6 Edie Falco
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Edie Falco, an actress, struggled with alcoholism and became sober in the early 1990s after one particularly wild night. She admitted that being among the hard-partying actors of
"The Sopranos" was difficult, revealing that they love to hang out and party. She was always invited, but she would just stay for two minutes before leaving since she couldn't live in that world any longer. It's far too risky.
#7 Betty Ford
Source: Paris Match
Betty Ford, the former First Lady of the United States and wife of former President Gerald Ford, was taken to a California hospital in 1978 for alcohol and drug abuse. She said in a statement delivered by a family representative that she had discovered she was addicted not only to the arthritis medication she was taking but also to alcohol. Ford went on to develop the Betty Ford Center to help others overcome their addictions to drugs and alcohol.
#8 Mary J. Blige
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Mary J. Blige, an actress and R&B singer, opened up about her alcoholism on VH1's Behind the Music. She stated at the time that it was certain to kill her. Kendu Isaacs, her ex-husband, was the driving force behind her sobriety. “I stopped drinking,” she says. “It was wild power. It was prayer. It was really hard…”
#9 Elizabeth Taylor
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Elizabeth Taylor struggled with drinking and drug addiction throughout her life. While receiving treatment at the Betty Ford Center, she read in her journal, "Not being a drunk is the only way I'm going to stay alive." A drunk is a drunk. Somebody who drinks too much is drunk. Somebody that takes too many pills is a junkie. There’s no polite way of saying it. " The late actress was admitted to the hospital in 1983 with a bowel obstruction, and it was during this stay that her family planned an intervention.
#10 Jada Pinkett Smith
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On one episode of her Red Table Talk show, Jada Pinkett Smith discussed her alcoholism. The talk show host comes from a family of drug and alcohol abusers, and she admitted that her addictions shifted from sex to the gym. She shared that she was going to drink, but she thought about her children and then ate cold turkey instead. It led to another problem because she was a binger, now she always has to watch herself carefully to not worsen her obsession.
#11 Mary Tyler Moore
Source: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Mary Tyler Moore was outspoken about her alcoholism. Despite being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, the actress continued to consume alcohol. Moore adored Betty Ford, the former first lady of the United States and the founder of the clinic where she and many others received therapy. “You see, at that time… many women felt that being a female alcoholic was a disgrace, the lowest of the low, and that an intelligent, well-read, dignified woman couldn’t possibly be a drunk.” She said Ford “was, first and foremost, a lady (kind, well-mannered, gracious), anything but the commonly held image of an alcoholic woman.”
#12 Patricia Heaton
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Patricia Heaton informed Parade magazine in 2020 that she had stopped drinking two years earlier. She stated that she had discovered that she was looking forward to cocktails every night. She might have had a glass of wine or Prosecco if she went out to lunch. She also mentioned that women who were moderate drinkers in their 30s and 40s are more likely to become alcoholics in their 50s and 60s, according to statistics. In 2021, the beloved actress announced on her Instagram page that she had been alcohol-free for three years.