4 Surprising Celebrities That Struggled Addiction
Daniel Radcliffe: The nice guy
Yeah, that totally wholesome boy from Harry Potter. His battle with alcoholism probably comes a bit as a surprise for many of us. Radcliffe admitted to being drawn to the chaos that came with drinking. For someone who has grown up in the public eye with all eyes on them, there is an intense need for an outlet - why we see many a stars and starlets struggling with addictions and disordered eating. Radcliffe has laid off the alcohol since.
Matthew Perry: The funny guy
Best known for his role as quirky cute Chandler, he is the typical funny guy. Needless to say, many a times we use humor to cover up our emotional side to avoid being hurt. Comedians are notorious for being one of the most "addicted" professions. And I think many of us can relate to using humor and sarcasm as a way to protect ourselves from getting hurt - the tricky part is to find out how we balance being funny with actually allowing for our emotional side to exist and be taken cared of. We need to allow for our more sensitive side, so we are not just always numbing out and escaping through being that "funny" person that actually ends up feeling super depressed on the inside, when the lights go out. Matthew has since gone on to help others struggling with addiction and is sober today.
Jon Hamm: The alpha-male
Jon Hamm exudes intensity and emotional depth - it is not difficult to understand why he turned to alcohol to deal with his emotions. The more depth you have as a being, the greater risk there will be of us feeling swallowed up by the shallows of this world. Yes ignorance is bliss. Like his-rise-to-fame character Don Draper, Jon Hamm struggled alcoholism. Watching Mad Men it's difficult to see where Don stops and Jon begins - likely why he plays the role so good. Jon came clean in 2015 after treatment at rehab.
Owen Wilson: The hippie
No one seems more happy-go-lucky than the guy who played in the Wedding Crashers. He comes off almost annoyingly easy-going - like that cali surfer dude who says "amazing" about every effing thing. Dude, no, EVERYTHING is NOT amazing - some things suck and some things are just okay. Sure we can all agree those dark peanut butter cups from Trader Joe's are absolutely amazing, but let's stick to using the word where it is fitting. So slashing his wrists and taking an overdose didn't exactly seem like a thing Owen would do. Since his suicide attempt and struggle with addiction, he has moved on.
Life throws curve balls at everyone, even if we don't see them as an outsider.
Knowing that others have gone through battles of their own, it sometimes makes it a bit easier for us to grasp that we are not alone. Life does move on, if we just hang in there. Patience, persistence and permission to fail and fail again, will carve out a path for us eventually.
So many of us give up right before we are there. In most cases we are only 1% away from the tide turning, before we decide to give in - and that is sad, because often a little more patience is all it takes. It is not so much about being strong enough, rather it is about our perspective on things that make it, or break it. Perhaps if we can find a way to see life as a flowing journey rather than a set destination, we will find patience somewhat easier to deal with. Nothing is constant but change, and we won't always feel stuck, it is just temporary.
The only failure in life is giving up.
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