Talking about substance abuse can be uncomfortable and emotionally draining. While a lot of people struggle with the problem, only a few are brave enough to talk about it.
We have curated a list of celebrities who talked about their addictions and even tried to overcome them.
1. Pooja Bhatt
Actor and filmmaker, Pooja Bhatt first opened up about battling alcoholism in an interview with Mumbai Mirror in 2017. Encouraged by a conversation with her father Mahesh Bhatt, she decided to quit alcohol on Christmas Eve in 2016. In the interview she shed light on problems faced by women in accepting substance abuse and seeking help. She said:
In the interview she shed light on problems faced by women in accepting substance abuse and seeking help. She said:
I want to bust the stigma attached to alcoholism in our country. Women particularly are discouraged from seeking help because it’s a matter of shame for the family. We don’t share our pain or frailties, we cover our weaknesses and it becomes a cancer.
2. Prateik Babbar
In 2017, actor Prateik Babbar opened up about his battle with drug addiction and how he came out to be stronger and more confident than ever. In a column published in Mid-Day, he wrote:
Getting out of bed was almost impossible; nausea greeted me each morning, my body ached and I oscillated between hot and cold every few minutes. At that point, I didn’t even have a drug of choice, I took whatever I could lay my hands on.
What started as experiments with marijuana and hashish, developed into an addiction to cocaine and acid for him.
3. Ranbir Kapoor
During the release of his film Sanju, the actor had admitted to resorting to drugs in his college days. In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, he said:
I have tried drugs when I was in college and got into bad influence. But I realised that nothing will happen in life if I continue with drugs. Every man makes mistakes in his life. I am addicted to nicotine now and it’s worse than drugs.
4. Kapil Sharma
Comedian and actor Kapil Sharma, too has admitted that he was addicted to alcohol for a while, which sabotaged not only his personal but also professional life.
He even joined a rehab centre and made a comeback in acting and comedy.
5. Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt has always been quite vocal about his drug addiction. He has talked about it on several occasions and we did see a glimpse of it in his biopic, Sanju.
In a video, he once talked about how his father helped him get rid of the addiction. He said:
I was in a dying condition and went to my father and told him that I need help and I am a drug addict. I was a lucky man that my father took me to the US where I stayed in a drug cure center for two years. In the first year, I used to think to myself, let’s have one more smoke but I made a promise to myself that neither will I do drugs and nor will encourage its use.
6. Manisha Koirala
In her book titled, Healed: How Cancer Gave Me A New Life, that she wrote after battling cancer, the actress opened up about her alcohol addiction.
Talking to HT about her descent into alcoholism, she once said:
It seeped into my life and I did not realize that it would put my life upside down. We start alcohol by thinking its helping, but that’s really not the solution. In life, be it relationships or alcohol, we need to be the master of the situation and not the victim. My friends and family drink, my father drinks sometimes, so there’s no taboo as such. But you need to know your limits so that you don’t flip and start going on a downhill journey.
7. Dharmendra
In an interview in 2012 when his film Yamla Pagla Deewana released, the actor admitted that he was an alcoholic for the past 15 years. He also described that he became so addictive that drinking nearly destroyed his career. He reportedly overcame his addiction after he got passionate about writing.
8. Fardeen Khan
Fardeen Khan’s drug addiction was revealed and he was caught buying a small quantity of cocaine in 2001 and had to fight a long legal battle.
Talking about his drug addiction, he once told TOI:
Any mind-altering substance whether it’s narcotics or alcohol or prescription pills, creates a lethal dependency. Before you know it you’re sucked into a downward spiral. The idea of any addiction is very damaging. People have all kinds of weird addiction, even shopping. My only addiction (now) is the love of my family. They’re my life-supporting system. Please educate yourself vis-a-vis the consequences of whatever you are experimenting with. Addiction is not cool.
9. Javed Akhtar
Earlier this year, Javed Akhtar turned 75. In an interview with Zoom News, he talked about his addiction to alcohol. He said:
People often say that I have no regrets. But I have regrets. I really believe that out of these 75 years, my 10 years were totally wasted in drinking. I could’ve used those years, which I scattered all over my life, in a more constructive manner by learning one more language or a musical instrument.
Talking is indeed the first step towards recovery.
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