Celebs You Wouldn’t Know Are In Recovery
Celebrities are humans just like everyone else, which means they are not immune to the disease of addiction. There are many celebrities who have checked themselves into rehab and work hard to stick with recovery in their hectic, paparazzi-filled lives. Some celebrities that are in recovery you might not have heard about are John Stamos, Kat Von D and Kristen Davis. They lived a life of lies and depression in the past, just like most people who get addicted to alcohol and other substances.
Celebrities That Went to Rehab
Many celebrities start their addiction during the height of their fame, while others check into rehab before they get famous so they do not jeopardize their budding careers. While on camera, they smile and act normal, but it is when the cameras aren’t rolling that they show a different side of themselves. Here are some stories of how celebrities started their addiction and when they decided to go to rehab.
Kat Von D
Kat Von D is known for being a tattoo artist with celebrity clientele, a model, and a reality star from her TV series LA Ink. Kat started drinking while famous and it quickly became a problem, to the point where she couldn’t do anything without having a drink first. All of her friends also drank a lot, so they never stepped up to say anything about her problem. She also delved into the use of other drugs, but her preferred substance was always alcohol. In an interview with Rosie O’Donnell, she talked about using drugs while on her television show and how it came to a point where it was affecting her professional tattooing career. That was the moment when she decided to stop drinking. “‘I woke up one day and said I didn’t want to drink anymore,’ Von D tells O’Donnell.”
July 7th marks her six years of sobriety. She said she is able to remember her celebrity lifestyle a lot more, and also able to enjoy it now. She surrounds herself with friends that are also in recovery and said that makes all the difference in her life.
John Stamos
John Stamos is best known for his role on Full House as Uncle Jessie and on General Hospital. He also stars in the sitcom Grandfathered and the reboot of Full House, Fuller House. He has been struggling with depression and using alcohol and substances to deal with his depression. His abuse was at its highest point when his father died, followed by a divorce, followed right afterwards with his mother passing away as well.
In June of 2016, he was hospitalized and received a DUI for driving under the influence. He checked himself into rehab after that and has been sober since. He talks about his addiction and recovery story on Howard Stern, available here.
Kristen Davis
You probably know her best for her role as Charlotte from Sex and the City. Throughout her life of being an actress, Kristen struggled and addiction to alcohol. She admitted she didn’t think she would make it past the age of 30 while she was drinking, because alcoholism runs in her family. Her drinking started as a teenager and carried on into her young adult life. She did it to “fit in” and she didn’t stop drinking until the age of 22 when she started acting. Kristen has said she would go to her acting classes hung over and it started to affect her career negatively, so she decided she couldn’t indulge in both passions and she chose to quit drinking in order to save her acting career.
Stephen King
Stephen King is a writer and best known for the novels, Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, The Mist, The Green Mile, It… (the list goes on and on). Many of his books have been made into movies and even television shows. What many people don’t know about him is his struggle with a drug and alcohol addiction. A large number of the main characters in his novels also suffer the same addictions. King used alcohol to help escape his struggles with depression. He lost his father when he was 2 and had a constant fear of losing his mother thereafter. He was intoxicated at his mother’s funeral when she did pass away. In 1987, his family staged an intervention and it was then when he realized he needed to change for the better. He has been sober ever since.
Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm is best known for playing Don Draper on the TV series Mad Men where his character drinks and smokes practically every five minutes of the show. He likes to keep his life private but he did announce he recently completed alcohol rehab in early 2016. He said his wife and family have been extremely supportive of his addiction and recovery.
The common theme among all of these celebrities is that everyone of them have their own story and started abusing alcohol and drugs at different times in their lives. Addiction is a disease that can affect all walks of life, regardless of fame and success. The best action is to take addiction seriously, and if you think you may be addicted to drugs or alcohol, to seek help immediately.