Honest and Sober: 6 Stars Who Were Honest About Their Battle with Alcoholism

Adele

Early on in her career, singer Adele was very insecure about her appearance and specifically her weight. That prompted her to often down a few drinks before going on stage. Before long, though, those few drinks before every performance turned into a real problem. In one of her interviews, Adele confessed that she once got so wasted she forgot the lyrics to one of her own songs and could barely stand on her feet.

In 2009, Adele sought professional help as her voice began to deteriorate because she was constantly hung over and would often oversleep and turn up late for work. After undergoing ligament surgery, Adele quit drinking and became a health and fitness fanatic. She’s now lost 45 kilograms, becoming a role model for many women around the world.

Anthony Hopkins

As a young man, Anthony Hopkins believed that booze helped him loosen up on stage and get into the swing of things to deliver a better performance. Over time, though, his drinking got out of control: In 1964 he got a job at the National Theatre and was fired shortly after for drinking. One day, Anthony woke up behind the wheel of his car in a strange neighbourhood and he couldn’t remember how he had driven there. Realising that alcohol almost got him killed, the actor decided to do something about it.

He quit drinking and managed to stay dry for forty years.

Drew Barrymore

After getting crazy popular at a tender young age of 13, Drew started using alcohol to cope with the pressures of fame. She soon transformed from a beautiful swan into an ugly duckling. Ultimately, her drinking problem landed her in rehab. After getting out of rehab, Drew began writing a poignant and very mature memoir, moonlighting as a waitress, modelling and trying to get back into acting. She says if she had continued drinking she would never have been able to become a popular actress as an adult.

Kristin Davis

Mostly famous for her role as Charlotte on the cult series Sex and the City, the actress initially struggled with stage fright so she began drinking to take off the edge. One sip after another and by age 25, Kristin was a raging alcoholic. Kristin's best friend felt she had to help and enrolled her in AA and yoga classes. The intervention worked: Kristen became much calmer and at one point she even wanted to quit Sex and the City when she learned the script called for her character to drink cocktails all day long. In the end, though, Kristen was able to find a compromise with the director.

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel was just a kid when the Harry Potter films made him an overnight success. He soon got depressed and turned to alcohol to help him cope with it. Before long, he was appearing on set drunk. In 2015. Daniel admitted that he was an alcoholic. At one point, it got so bad he started waking up in strange places with no memory of how he got there. That was when Daniel realised he had to do something about it and sought professional help. He was eventually able to get his alcoholism under control.

Samuel L. Jackson

After graduation, Samuel spent years trying to get a break in film, theatre, and TV but success kept eluding him: directors didn’t want to work with him because he had a reputation as a drunk. By the late 1980s, the actor was in rehab. He says that was the lowest point in his life, but nevertheless, it worked and enabled him to kick his vile habit and turn his career around.