Discover the powerful messages these stars have shared about their experiences with drug addiction and recovery journeys.

Jax Taylor recently opened up about his long-standing battle with cocaine addiction, making this admission public for the first time during an appearance on Bravo’s Hot Mic podcast. Jax candidly shared that he has been “dealing with this on and off” since he was just 23 years old, but has now achieved nearly three months of sobriety—the longest he has ever gone without cocaine or alcohol. His story reflects the struggles many individuals face when grappling with addiction.

“I’m an addict. I have substance issues—primarily with cocaine. It’s tough to say out loud. I have been managing this on and off since I was 23 and now I’m 45,” Jax expressed on the podcast. “There were times when I would stop using it, but there were also times when I would heavily indulge.”

He continued, “I’ve never said this in my life. So to come out and admit that I have an addiction [and] that it’s a disease I have to work on for the rest of my life is a significant deal for me. Clearly, it’s a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.”

Wendy Williams faced her own struggles with cocaine addiction early in her career while working in radio. Despite her dependence, she described herself as a “functioning addict,” successfully building her reputation in New York and Philadelphia radio. Wendy battled addiction for a decade before meeting her ex-husband Kevin Hunter, which prompted her decision to seek sobriety.

“I was a functioning addict. I would arrive at work on time, and all my co-workers, including my bosses, knew about my struggles, but since I wore my headphones, they didn’t fire me because I was delivering results,” Wendy told Entertainment Tonight. “A functioning addict has multiple alarm clocks; you’re organized. It’s a miracle I was able to stop.”

Robert Downey Jr. faced a serious drug addiction during the late 1980s, which led him to spend time in jail. In 1996, he was arrested for speeding, which resulted in multiple charges including driving under the influence and possession of heroin, cocaine, crack, and a firearm. After violating his parole and missing a court-ordered drug test, he was sentenced to a three-year term at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison.

“It was just a wild period,” Robert shared in the Netflix documentary Sr. “That entire world gets intertwined with creativity. We were all altering our consciousness with substances. I was just kind of playing a game of wanting to soothe myself or just stay loaded instead of dealing with the fact that things had gone off track a bit.”

Whoopi Goldberg candidly admits to battling drug addiction while living in New York and LA during the 1980s. Although she had previously achieved sobriety, she relapsed when attending celebrity parties filled with copious amounts of hard drugs and felt safe from consequences.

“I was invited to parties where I was greeted at the door with a bowl of Quaaludes from which I could pick what I wanted,” Whoopi recounted in her memoir Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me. “Lines of cocaine were laid across tables and bathroom counters for the taking.”

She continued using heavily for about a year until cocaine began to “kick [her] ass,” leading to hallucinations. Her wake-up call came during a stay at a luxurious NYC hotel, where she was caught doing cocaine in her hotel room closet by a housekeeper. After alarming the housekeeper, she decided to quit cold turkey.

Alec Baldwin experienced a period of daily cocaine use after relocating from New York to Los Angeles. Reflecting on his experiences in the 1980s, he described cocaine as “like coffee” and noted that it was widely accepted among everyone. Ultimately, he achieved sobriety, quitting both alcohol and drugs on February 23, 1985.

“I had a white-hot problem every day for two years. I think I snorted a line of cocaine from here to Saturn,” he recounted on the Our Way with Paul Anka and Skip Bronson podcast.

Steven Tyler has endured a tumultuous battle with drug addiction throughout his life, entering rehab at least nine times. Looking back, he estimates spending $5 million on cocaine during the 1970s and 1980s, a time when his band Aerosmith required venues to provide an off-stage cubby for their cocaine use.

“I needed blow. I needed that cocaine. I needed it,” he shared on Dateline in 2011, adding that it nearly destroyed him. “It took my kids away, it took my marriages away. I was on my knees.”

He continued, “There are three things that happen to you when you’re addicted to drugs, which are death, jail, and madness. And I can’t preach that enough. The only reason I end up in rehab is that I used to the point of falling down. My kids tell me, ‘Daddy, I don’t know who you are anymore.’ Wives leave, bands break up, and it’s truly a one-way street. I still enjoyed the ride, but it’s a one-way road.”

Demi Lovato has been vocal about her struggles with drug addiction as a teenager and young adult, which ultimately led to a near-fatal overdose. At one point, Demi admitted that she couldn’t go an hour without cocaine and would sneak the drug wherever she went. In 2018, after several years of sobriety, she relapsed and began experimenting with drugs she had never tried before, which quickly spiraled out of control.

“I had never done meth before, so I tried meth. I mixed it with Molly, with coke, weed, alcohol, and oxycontin. And that alone should have killed me,” Demi shared in her Dancing With The Devil documentary.

Shortly thereafter, Demi overdosed, suffering three strokes that caused brain damage, a heart attack, and multiple organ failure. She was even briefly legally blind. Despite such a harrowing experience, she relapsed again and subsequently checked herself into rehab for two months. She has since achieved years of sobriety.

At just 14 years old, Jack Black fell into drug addiction while coping with the emotional turmoil of his parents’ divorce. He began associating with the wrong crowd in school, which led to his addiction to cocaine. Amid these struggles, his parents enrolled him in a school for “troubled youth” in the Los Angeles area, where he received support from a non-judgmental school therapist.

“I spilled my guts, telling him I felt guilty about stealing from my mom to get money for cocaine,” he told Parade. “I cried like a baby. It was a huge release and an enormous relief. I left feeling euphoric, like an infinite weight had been lifted from me. It changed me.”

Nicole Richie battled drug addiction as a teenager, starting with cocaine. Reflecting on her situation, she attributes her struggles to boredom and a search for excitement. Initially drawn to drugs and partying, she ultimately recognized the need for treatment.

“I got so much so quickly that nothing really excited me anymore. I sort of took things into my own hands and was creating drama in a very dangerous way. I think I was just bored, and I had seen everything—especially when you’re young, you just want more,” she shared on 20/20.

Unfortunately, after overcoming her cocaine habit, she turned to heroin and once again had to enter rehab. Today, she has successfully maintained her sobriety for several years.

Dennis Quaid struggled with cocaine addiction for years, explaining that growing up in the 1960s and 70s created a very different perspective on drug use. He reflects on his daily cocaine consumption, realizing he could still function when he needed to work. However, amid his relationship with Meg Ryan, a vision of his future prompted him to turn his life around and seek rehabilitation.

“I had what I call a white-light experience, where I saw myself either dead or losing everything that meant