4 Celebrity Examples Of Successful Addiction Recovery

When you think of Hollywood, there are many things that instantly come to mind. And I bet that drugs and alcohol are one of the first things that you think of. Our magazines and entertainment news shows are always headlined by stories of celebrities who have gotten yet another DUI, or landed themselves in mandatory rehab programs. When we think of celebrities, sure we think of the glitz and glamour that come along with their lifestyles. But we also think about the downsides that drug and alcohol abuse has brought into many of their lives.

But when we look to celebrities and addictive substances, all of the stories aren't as distressing as Lindsay Lohan's, or as tragic as Amy Winehouse's. In fact, there are many celebrities who have shown us great examples of overcoming addictions to drugs and alcohol. There are dozens of celebrities who have battled addictions... but have found their roads to recovery.

Let's talk about just a few of those examples. Here are 4 celebrity examples of successful addiction recovery:

 1. Betty Ford

Years clean/sober: 33
You might be surprised to see a former First Lady of the United States on this list. But yes, Betty Ford, the wife of President Gerald Ford, struggled with alcoholism and opioid addiction. Her addiction began as an addiction to pain medicines she was taking to treat a pinched nerve. That pain medication addiction turned into an addiction to opioids and alcohol, until her family staged an intervention. This happened in 1978, and after struggling through the physical and mental pain of recovery, she stayed sober until her death until 2011.
Betty founded the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse and addiction in 1982.

2. Bob Forrest

Years clean/sober: 17
Bob Forrest was the lead singer of the band Thelonious Monster, a popular band in the 1990's. Bob was known for his crazy, drug-driven antics both on and off the stage. He had numerous drug-related arrests, serving jail time numerous times. He was in and out of drug rehab. He overdosed several times.
Many people, including Dr. Drew Pinsky, thought that he wouldn't survive his level of heroin use and addiction. But he surprised everyone by eventually finding recovery. He said that he finally accepted that it was the drugs that were causing his problems. He went to rehab again, taking it seriously this time. He finally found full recovery, and has since helped many other celebrities find recovery also.
Since his recovery in 1996, Bob has become a drug counselor, he was the Chemical Dependency Program Director as Las Encinas Hospital, and he is the cofounder of Hollywood Recovery Services.

3. Drew Barrymore

Years clean/sober: 20+
I think we all know Drew's story: child star turned drug addict turned successful (sober) Hollywood A-lister. Drew is known to have one of the youngest drug addictions of all of the celebrity addiction stories. But she also has one of the most successful.
There were years of drug addiction in Drew's family, including her parents and grandfather. Drew began struggling with drug addiction when she was very young. She reportedly started drinking and smoking cigarettes when she was just 9 years old. She began using marijuana at age 10. At age 12, she started with cocaine use. Drew first entered drug rehab when she was just 13 years old, then again when she was 15. After a failed suicide attempt at age 15, she turned her life around, completely staying off of drugs. She has been completely clean ever since, and she has been able to move on to a very successful movie career.

4. Robert Downey, Jr.

Years clean/sober: 12
Just like Drew Barrymore's, Robert Downey, Jr's story is another well-known story of success, addiction, and redemption. And just like Drew, Robert's addictions began at a very, very young age. Robert's father was also a drug addict. Robert Downey Jr was first given marijuana when he was only 6 years old... by his own father. He has said that his addictions to drugs began when he was just 8 years old.
Robert Downey, Jr was one of the most popular actors in the 80's. That was, until his addictions took over. He had numerous drug-related arrests, and went through rehab several times. Directors stopped hiring him for roles.
It was in 2001 that Robert "realized that he couldn't continue this lifestyle of drug abuse." It was then that he joined rehab one more time, and was finally able to drop his addictions for good. He has since regained his movie career, becoming even more successful than he was before, starring in some of the most popular blockbusters of the 2000's, including Tropic Thunder, Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes, and The Avengers.

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