One of the reasons why breaking away from addiction can be so hard is fear about the future. You may have many worries about how you will be able to manage without alcohol or drugs in your life. This inability to imagine how wonderful your life can be without these substances holding you back will be a drain on your motivation. One thing you can do to remedy this situation is to hear about people who have already developed a great life after they escaped addiction. Many famous people can act as good role models in this regard, and we have listed a few of these for you in the below paragraphs.
Stephen King
Stephen King is one of the most successful writers of all time – many of his books have been turned into movies. He struggled with an addiction to alcohol and drugs for many years. This behaviour was causing him a great deal of pain, but one of the reasons why he continued to drink was the mistaken belief that his substance abuse and creativity were related. Eventually he was able to give up his addiction and was relieved to find that his talent was still there. In fact, he has written some of his greatest works since giving up his addictive behaviour. Stephen King has become a fine example of what is possible after entering recovery.
Elton John
Elton John almost died back in the seventies due to a drug overdose. He decided to enter rehab and never looked back. Instead of ending up just another lost celebrity to addiction, he went on to become one of the most successful musicians of all time – he has sold over 250 million records. Elton also struggled for a long time with bulimia, but he managed to overcome this eating order as well.
Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen is a well-known face from the many successful movies and hit TV shows like the West Wing he has appeared in over the years. He is now a much respected face in Hollywood, but back in the eighties he was getting attention for all the wrong reasons – his alcohol addiction was out of control. Martin managed to get help from Alcoholics Anonymous and up until this day continues to attend meetings all these years later. He was well known before he gave up addiction, but nowhere near as famous as he is nowadays.
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe shot to fame as a teenager while playing the role of Harry Potter. He began abusing alcohol at a young age and soon found himself in trouble. Luckily, he was able to pull back before he ended up in too much trouble. Daniel is still only 24 years of age, so it is great that he has been able to get on top of his problems so young in life. So many stars messed up their career because of addiction but hopefully Daniel has avoided falling into this trap. It should mean that he enjoys much more success in the future. He is a great example to young people, demonstrating that it is possible to build a good life away from addiction at any age.
Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore is another celebrity that ended up battling addiction problems at a young age. She was a child star, which brought her into contact with a world where anything was permissible. She began smoking cigarettes at age nine, and by age eleven, she was using alcohol and drugs. Her family forced her to go to rehab after she attempted suicide. It looked as if she was destined for an early death, but she was eventually able to end her addiction in rehab at age 14. Now, many years later, Drew Barrymore has kept to her decision to remain sober, meaning she has been able to live a very successful and fulfilling life. She is one of the most down to earth and well-adjusted celebrities in the business, and it really is hard to believe that she was once totally out of control.
Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin became one of the most famous men on the planet by being part of the first mission to land on the moon. He did what the rest of the world could only dream about. The problem was that when Buzz returned to earth, he struggled to adjust to life. Where do you go after you have made it to the moon? He turned to alcohol and his behaviour while drunk began to seriously damage his reputation. This national hero started seeing his life fall apart – he lost his wife, and his friends soon followed. He became a recluse and his mission in life became drinking himself to death; luckily, one person was able to get through to him and he agreed to go to rehab. He has reclaimed his mantle as a hero and is now a great role model.
Davina McCall
Davina McCall is a UK TV personality who is best known for hosting the Big Brother TV show. She began using alcohol and drugs at a young age, meaning that her life started to fall apart. In early adulthood, she was relying on handouts for her parents and sleeping on people’s couches. Luckily, Davina saw the writing on the wall and decided to walk away from substance abuse. This cleared her mind, enabling her to see opportunities and take advantage of them. Within a few years, she was on TV and making a big name for herself. It has been over two decades since Davina McCall broke away from addiction, and she has never looked back.
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp does not believe that he was ever an alcoholic, but he could see that alcohol was taking him on a path he did not want to go down. He saw the mistakes that other people were making around him and decided that he would not fall into the same trap. Johnny Depp is one of the coolest people on the planet – he is evidence that alcohol or drugs are not needed to be cool.
You
If you are able to break away from addiction, you will become an inspiration to other people. Who knows what you will be able to achieve once you remove the chemicals from your life. All alcohol or drugs will ever do is hold you back. If you want to be successful in life, you will need to overcome your addiction. There are plenty of great examples out there to inspire you. Read biographies about people who have broken away from addiction and spend time around those who have built a strong recovery – they do not have to be famous to be successful.
