14 Celebs Who Acquired Candid About Their Cocaine Habit

Discover out what these stars needed to say about drug dependancy…

Jax Taylor lately revealed that he has spent a long time fighting cocaine dependancy, overtly admitting it for the primary time throughout an look on Bravo’s Sizzling Mic podcast. Jax defined that he’d been “coping with this on and off” since he was 23 however has now been sober for nearly three months — the longest time period in his life that he’s gone with out cocaine or alcohol.

“I’m an addict. I’ve substance points — primarily with cocaine. It’s onerous to say out loud. I’ve been coping with this on and off since I used to be 23 and now I’m 45,” Jax stated on the podcast. “There was instances the place I’d cease doing it however then there have been instances the place I’d go heavy on it.”

He continued, “I’ve by no means stated this in my life. So to return out and say that I’ve an dependancy [and] that I’ve a illness that I’ve to work on the remainder of my life is a extremely large deal for me. Clearly, it’s an enormous weight lifted off my shoulders.”

Wendy Williams developed an dependancy to cocaine early in her profession, throughout her days working in radio. Regardless of her dependence on the drug, Wendy says she was a “functioning addict” and was in a position to succeed at work, making a reputation for herself on New York and Philadelphia radio. She handled the dependancy for a decade earlier than assembly her ex-husband Kevin Hunter and making the choice to cease.

“I used to be a functioning addict. I report back to work on time, and I’d stroll in and all my co-workers, together with my bosses, would know however since I’d have my headphones on and stroll within the studio and [they] wouldn’t hearth me as a result of I used to be making rankings,” Wendy informed Leisure Tonight. “A functioning addict has a number of alarm clocks, you’re organized. It’s a miracle I used to be in a position to cease.”

Robert Downey Jr. developed a drug dependancy within the late Eighties and struggled with it for years, throughout which he ended up spending time behind bars. In 1996, he was pulled over for dashing and ended up being arrested on expenses of driving underneath the affect and for having heroin, cocaine, crack, and a gun in his automobile. After violating his parole after which lacking a court-ordered drug check, he ended up being sentenced to a three-year stint on the California Substance Abuse Therapy Facility and State Jail.

“It was only a wild period,” Rober stated within the Netflix documentary Sr. “That complete world, it will get tied into creativity. We have been all altering our consciousness with substances. I used to be simply kinda enjoying a sport of simply eager to self-soothe or simply keep loaded reasonably than take care of the truth that issues had gone off the tracks a bit bit.”

Whoopi Goldberg admits that she struggled with drug dependancy whereas residing in New York and LA within the ’80s. She had beforehand gotten clear however stated she relapsed when she started attending superstar events the place there have been copious quantities of onerous medication and no probability of getting caught.

“I used to be invited to events the place I used to be greeted on the door with a bowl of Quaaludes from which I may choose what I wished,” Whoopi wrote in her memoir Bits and Items: My Mom, My Brother, and Me. “Strains of cocaine have been laid throughout tables and toilet counters for the taking.”

She continued utilizing closely for a couple of yr earlier than cocaine started to “kick [her] ass,” inflicting her to hallucinate. Her largest wake-up name got here throughout a keep at a flowery lodge in NYC, the place she bought caught doing coke within the closet of her lodge room by a housekeeper. After terrifying the housekeeper, she give up chilly turkey.

Alec Baldwin went by means of a interval in his life throughout which he was utilizing cocaine each single day after shifting from New York to Los Angeles. Wanting again on the time interval within the ’80s, Alec says cocaine “was like espresso” and everybody was doing it. Ultimately, he bought sober, giving up each consuming and medicines on Feb. 23, 1985.

“I had a white-hot downside each day for 2 years. I feel I snorted a line of cocaine from right here to Saturn,” he shared on the Our Manner with Paul Anka and Skip Bronson podcast.

Steven Tyler has had a tumultuous journey with drug dependancy all through his life and has been to rehab at the least 9 instances. Wanting again, he says he simply spent $5 million on cocaine all through the ’70s and ’80s, a time when his band Aerosmith required venues to have an off-stage cubby the place they may do coke.

“I wanted blow. I wanted that cocaine. I wanted it,” he shared on Dateline in 2011, including that it practically ruined him. “It took my youngsters away, it took my marriages away. I used to be on my knees.”

He continued, “There’s three issues that occur to you whenever you’re hooked on medication after they take maintain, is loss of life, jail and madness. And I can’t preach that sufficient. The one cause I wind up in rehab is as a result of I used to the purpose of falling down. My children inform me, ‘Daddy, I don’t know who you’re anymore.’ Wives depart, bands break up, and it’s actually a one-way avenue. I nonetheless preferred the experience, but it surely’s a one-way avenue.”

Demi Lovato has beforehand opened up about fighting drug addiction as a teen and younger grownup, which in the end led to her near-fatal drug overdose. At one level, Demi says she couldn’t go an hour with out cocaine and needed to sneak the drug together with her at any time when she was. In 2018, she relapsed after a number of years of sobriety. She began experimenting with medication she’d by no means tried earlier than and issues shortly escalated.

“I’d by no means carried out meth earlier than, I attempted meth. I combined it with Molly, with coke, weed, alcohol, oxycontin. And that alone ought to have killed me,” Demi shared in her Dancing With The Satan documentary.

Quickly after, Demi overdosed throughout which they’d three strokes that induced mind injury, a coronary heart assault and a number of organ failure. She was even quickly legally blind. Even after such a harrowing expertise, they relapsed once more — after which checked herself into rehab for 2 months. She’s now been sober for years.

When Jack Black was simply 14, he fell into drug dependancy whereas coping with the turmoil of his mum or dad’s divorce. He ended up getting concerned with the flawed crowd at college, and shortly, he was hooked on cocaine. Amid his struggles, his mother and father enrolled him at a faculty for “troubled youth” within the Los Angeles space, the place he bought assist from a non-judgmental college therapist.

“I spilled my guts, telling him I felt responsible about stealing from my mother to get cash for cocaine,” he informed Parade. “I cried like a child. It was an enormous launch and an enormous aid. I left feeling euphoric, like an unlimited weight had been lifted from me. It modified me.”

Nicole Richie handled drug dependancy as a teen, starting with cocaine. Reflecting on the scenario, she says it stemmed from boredom and wanting to seek out one thing that will excite her. She turned to medication and partying however finally determined to hunt therapy.

“I bought a lot so quick that nothing actually excited me anymore. I type of took issues into my very own palms and was creating drama in a really harmful manner. I feel I used to be simply bored, and I had seen every thing — particularly whenever you’re younger, you simply need extra,” she shared on 20/20.

Sadly, after kicking her coke behavior, she turned to heroin and as soon as once more needed to enter rehab. She’s now been sober for a few years.

Dennis Quaid handled an dependancy to cocaine for years, explaining that rising up within the ’60s and ’70s, “there was a totally completely different perspective” about drug use. Wanting again, he says he ended up doing cocaine on a “each day foundation” and whereas he struggled, he realized he may nonetheless operate at any time when he wanted to work. However amid his relationship with Meg Ryan, he had a imaginative and prescient of his future that induced him to show his life round and examine into rehab.

“I had what I name a white-light expertise, the place I noticed myself both useless or dropping every thing that meant something to me,” he stated throughout an interview with Megyn Kelly.

He went on, “That was the tip of the love affair for me with cocaine… I meditated for 2 years straight. I learn the Bible. I learn the Dhammapada. I learn the Bhagavad Gita. I learn the Quran. I simply began actually delving into the thriller as a result of that’s what dependancy is absolutely about — it’s about making an attempt to refill a gap within your self.”

Bradley Cooper was hooked on cocaine in his 20s, earlier than he turned a serious star. He says that across the time he left Alias, he additionally severed his Achilles tendon and fell into drug use. Whereas struggling to seek out extra work, he was additionally coping with vanity points and felt “nugatory.” Wanting again, he says it was his buddy Will Arnett who ended up sitting him down and telling him that his actions have been hurting different folks — and it modified his life.

“I used to be so misplaced, and I used to be hooked on cocaine,” Bradley stated on Will’s SmartLess podcast. “Will took that danger of getting that arduous dialog with me in, like, July of 2004 and that put me on a path of deciding to vary my life. It actually was Will Arnett. He’s the rationale.”

Josh Peck admits he turned hooked on alcohol and medicines, together with cocaine, as a teen. Reflecting on the time, Josh says it began whereas he was fighting weight points. Whereas he thought dropping 125 kilos would make every thing in his life higher, he realized he was nonetheless coping with the identical psychological well being and vanity points. It wasn’t till he tried medication at a celebration that he “felt free” for the primary time. It led him down a darkish path of dependancy, finally realizing he had traded his meals dependancy for medication and alcohol.

“However finally I spotted that whether or not my life was past my wildest desires or a complete mess, it didn’t change the temperature of what was happening in my thoughts,” he informed Individuals. “I knew that nothing within the outdoors world would make me really feel complete.”

Josh bought sober at age 21, sharing that he realized how a lot he was hurting his family members.

Tom Hanks’ son Chet struggled with dependancy for a few years earlier than hitting all-time low and deciding to vary his life. Whereas on The Surreal Life, Chet appeared again on that second, which got here after a three-day coke binge in Las Vegas throughout which he “didn’t eat, sleep or barely drink any water.” He checked into rehab quickly after and has now been sober for over two years.

“Once I bought to Vegas, I weighed 190 lbs. On the finish of it, I weighed 163. I misplaced 27 lbs in three days, so my illness is gnarly. It’s not fairly. I went straight from Vegas, checked myself into rehab… once more,” Chet shared on the present.

He continued, “Right here I’m, 31 years outdated, broke, strung out, sucked up, simply skinny, simply at all-time low. I simply knew, man, if I don’t change my life in a drastic manner, both I’m not even going to be round or one thing unhealthy, so unhealthy, goes to occur that my life would possibly as effectively be over.”

AJ McLean can pinpoint the precise second his drug dependancy battle started on the set of the Backstreet Boys music video for “The Name.” He tried coke in the course of the late evening shoot after which stored his rising dependancy a secret from the band for over a yr. He was finally satisfied to go to rehab however after the stint, he continued to make use of medication on-and-off for the following 20 years.

“I’d go to mattress when the solar was rising and I’d get up when the solar was down,” he informed Individuals. “Like they are saying, the definition of madness, repeating the identical errors time and again anticipating completely different outcomes…I believed medication and alcohol would make these emotions of insecurity go away. However it would not work that manner.”

His eventual breaking level got here after his daughter observed he reeked of alcohol and informed him that he didn’t “scent like her daddy.” AJ then used his time without work in the course of the pandemic to get sober.

If you happen to or somebody you understand is fighting substance abuse, get assist. The Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Providers Administration (SAMHSA) Nationwide Helpline (1-800-662-4357) offers 24/7, free, confidential help for folks in misery.