Celebrities are just like us — they work hard, they struggle, and sometimes they fall into some dangerous habits. There have been quite a few superstars that have found themselves in the midst of drug addiction. Whether it be from finding fame too at an early age or getting in with the wrong crowd, these celebs have found themselves in dangerous situations.
The good news is many celebrities have found a way to overcome their addiction! Nothing a good trip to rehab can’t fix, amirite? But seriously — despite how difficult it can be to recover from an addiction, many celebs have worked hard to better themselves and get their lives back on track. Here are some famous faces that have faced, and beat, drug addiction!
16. Drew Barrymore
Barrymore got into drugs at an incredibly young age: nine years old. That’s when she started smoking cigarettes, and her habits would only get worse from there. By 13 years old, she was drinking and doing cocaine regularly and had already done a stint in rehab. The young age at which she achieved fame and her turbulent childhood contributed to her descent into drug addiction. By 15, she was able to clean herself up and take a break from her hard-partying ways. She’s since gone on to have a massive career and be one of the top rom-com stars of this generation!
15. Samuel L. Jackson
During the early days of Jackson’s career, he was working on award-winning plays, building a career, and apparently doing a lot of crack. The star hasn’t shied away from talking about his past struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. After his wife and daughter found him passed on the floor surrounded by drug paraphernalia, he was forced to go to rehab and it just may have saved his life. He credits getting sober with him becoming the actor he is today since it allowed him to forge deeper connections on stage and in roles. And we can all be thankful for that!
14. Jennifer Aniston
Aniston wasn’t hooked on any serious illegal drugs, but she did have a big issue with caffeine and cigarettes. While many might not think that’s serious, it can be life altering to find yourself dependant on nicotine or caffeine to get through the day. She kicked her chain-smoking habit in 2012 and credits yoga with helping her maintain her weight despite stopping smoking. The habit can cause lung cancer, yellowed teeth, and a whole slew of health problems so while it wasn’t illegal, it was certainly serious!
13. Oprah
Yup, the ~queen~ of pretty much the entire world once struggled with drug addiction. During an episode of her eponymous talk show, she had a guest who was addicted to her boyfriend, prompting Oprah to admit she once had a similar situation and because of this, she ultimately became addicted to crack. She said at the time it was “before crack was crack” and was referred to as “freebasing.” Despite this dark spot in her past, she left the man and the habit and became basically the biggest star in the entire world. So, yeah, sobriety looks good on her!
12. Jamie Lee Curtis
Curtis just celebrated 18 years sober after battling opioid addiction for years. She credits a magazine article from a respected journalist outing himself as an addict for convincing her to seek treatment since she saw that she wasn’t alone. Opioids have become an epidemic in this country as of late so Curtis has been vocal about how recovery and sobriety were incredibly beneficial. She hopes that by speaking out she can reach at least one opioid user and lead them to recovery.
11. Ben Affleck
Affleck struggled with and continues to struggle with alcohol dependency. While he got his drinking under control in the early aughts, the recent dissolution of his marriage caused him to seek treatment again last year. He’s recognized that his addiction is an ongoing battle and will be something he’ll have to confront for the rest of his life. During his periods of sobriety, though, Affleck has had a varied and successful career and his commitment to that, and his family, has kept his focus on recovery throughout the years.
10. Nicole Richie
Richie’s time in the spotlight during her tumultuous teen years with BFF Paris Hilton contributed to some bad habits. The starlet was arrested with heroin in 2003, leading to a stint in rehab. Just three years later, she was arrested again for a DUI after smoking marijuana and taking Vicodin before driving. She enrolled in an anti-drinking and driving class and has remained sober since the incident. She’s now a married mother of two who’s turned her life around completely. She has a fashion line, a hilarious podcast, and kills it on Instagram.
9. David Hasselhoff
Hasselhoff, “the most watched man on TV,” has long struggled with alcoholism. In 2007, his daughter released a video of him intoxicated at home looking like a fool, something that finally prompted him to get help. He’s been sober since them and attends AA meetings regularly. His career took a bit of a hit after the video was released, but it’s begun recovering in the interim. He even appeared in last years Baywatch remake!
8. Fergie
Before her popstar days, Fergie was in the throes of a serious drug addiction. Her drug of choice? Crystal meth. She cites her early career as a child actor as part of the reason she fell into hard drugs. She eventually sought sobriety for the sake of her mental health and career but recalled having hallucinations almost daily after quitting the drug. As she puts it, drugs were “the hardest boyfriend I ever had to break up with.” Breaking up with drugs was a life changer for her, though, and she achieved fame and success as a pop star in the years since.
7. Kelly Osbourne
Growing up as the daughter of Ozzy Osbourne takes a toll on a girl. Her hard-partying father had his own wicked ways and they seemed to rub off on his little girl. Kelly battled painkiller addiction for years. She went in and out of rehab several times, and even into a mental institution once which was the ultimate wake up call for her. After overcoming her drug addiction, she faced her struggles with food head on and is healthier than ever! Plus, the girl can rock gray hair like no one’s business.
6. Slash
With rock stardom comes hard partying, and that can turn dangerous and addictive very fast. The Guns N’ Roses guitarist drank heavily and did basically any and all drugs during the height of his band’s fame in the 1980s and ’90s. His drug use continued through the early ’00s, and he was eventually diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a type of congenital heart failure from drug use. While it was supposedly fatal, he pulled through and sobered up – maintaining his sobriety since 2005. He even quit smoking cigarettes after his mother died of lung cancer. Despite spending most of his life as a hard partier, he was able to turn his life around due to life-altering illness. It turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks.
5. Britney Spears
Who can forget Brit Brits very public struggles with drug addiction? The image of her with her head shaven brandishing an umbrella is a permanent part of the zeitgeist. After her divorce and mental health struggles, she turned to hard partying, leading to several stints in rehab. Eventually, she was put under a conservatorship in the care of her parents to get her back on the right track. She regained her life, her motherhood, and her career in the intervening years. And now? Brit looks great, has a super hot boyfriend, and proves that a good comeback always fun to watch.
4. Angelina Jolie
Despite being one of the biggest stars in the world, Angelina Jolie has some intense skeletons in her closet. When she was a teen, she suffered from self-harm and an eating disorder, and by the age of 20, she’d done basically any and all drugs including heroin. After struggling with suicidal impulses, she was admitted to the UCLA Medical Center’s psych ward. It was only two years later that she adopted her first son Maddox, an action that changed her entire life. She hasn’t turned back to drugs or self-destructive behavior since citing her commitment to raising her kids to the best of her ability.
3. Eminem
The rapper doesn’t just rap about drug abuse — he’s lived it. While filming 8 Mile, Marshall Mathers was given an Ambien by a costar and got his own prescription, leading to an addiction to several different pills including Vicodin and Valium. In 2007, he was hospitalized for a methadone overdose, and still kept taking the drug afterward despite the OD. It wasn’t until he missed a Christmas with his children that he finally admitted himself to a facility and detoxed. He’s been sober for the most part ever since, except for a relapse a few years Ago. He routinely sings about his struggles with sobriety and drug use in his music, including on his newest album.
2. Robert Downey Jr.
Downey is known to the world now as Iron Man, but he once was on the verge of complete self-destruction due to drug use. He claims he began using drugs at the age of 8 when his own drug-addicted father was giving them to him. Throughout the ’90s he was arrested with cocaine, heroin, handguns, and found himself in and out of rehab — and jail! — several times. After he was arrested the last time and lost almost everything in his life, he realized it was time to make a change and finally committed to rehab. He slowly began rebuilding his career until Iron Man and Tropic Thunder came along in 2008 and he was in full-blown comeback mode. He hasn’t slowed down, or relapsed, since!
1. Demi Lovato
Lovato has been incredibly vocal about her struggles with drug addiction since she got sober in hopes she can help others do the same. After struggling with self-harm, bullying, and low self-esteem for years, she turned to drugs to help her self-medicate. She recalls doing cocaine daily and drinking excessively. When she finally sought treatment after punching a backup dancer, she spent almost an entire year in a sober-living facility because she was that committed to her sobriety. She celebrated five years sober in 2017 and frequently speaks about her struggles to help those who can relate. A true success story of a celeb coming back from the brink and using their platform to support others with similar struggles! We love it!