Discover the powerful insights and experiences these stars have shared regarding their encounters with drug addiction and recovery…

Jax Taylor, known from reality television, recently opened up about his long-standing battle with cocaine addiction during a candid appearance on Bravo’s Sizzling Mic podcast. He shared that he has been “coping with this on and off” since the age of 23, but he has now achieved an impressive milestone of nearly three months of sobriety, marking the longest period in his life without the use of cocaine or alcohol.

“I am an addict. I have substance issues — primarily with cocaine. It’s difficult to express that publicly. I have battled this on and off since I was 23, and here I am at 45,” Jax revealed on the podcast. “There were times I would stop using, but there were also times I indulged heavily.”

He continued, “This is the first time I’ve ever admitted this publicly. To come out and acknowledge that I have an addiction, that I have a disease I need to manage for the rest of my life, is a monumental step for me. It’s undoubtedly a significant burden lifted off my shoulders.”

Wendy Williams candidly discussed her early struggles with cocaine addiction, which began during her radio career. Despite her dependence, Wendy managed to function at work effectively, carving out a successful career in both New York and Philadelphia radio. She battled her addiction for nearly a decade before meeting her ex-husband, Kevin Hunter, prompting her decision to seek help and ultimately quit.

“I was a functioning addict. I would arrive at work on time, and all my colleagues, including my bosses, were aware of my struggles, but because I was producing ratings, I was never fired,” Wendy shared with Entertainment Tonight. “A functioning addict has multiple alarms, is organized, and it’s truly a miracle that I managed to stop.”

Robert Downey Jr. faced a challenging battle with drug addiction that began in the late 1980s, leading him to spend significant time in prison. In 1996, he was arrested for speeding and found in possession of heroin, cocaine, crack, and even a firearm in his vehicle. Following a series of parole violations and missed court-ordered drug tests, 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 reflected in the Netflix documentary Sr.. “That entire environment intertwines with creativity. We were all altering our consciousness through substances. I was kind of playing a game of wanting to self-soothe or just stay loaded rather than confront the reality that things had gone awry.”

Whoopi Goldberg has openly discussed her struggles with drug addiction during her time in New York and Los Angeles in the 1980s. Although she had previously achieved sobriety, she found herself relapsing after attending celebrity parties where drugs were readily available and the likelihood of getting caught was minimal.

“I was welcomed at parties with a bowl of Quaaludes at the door, from which I could choose what I wanted,” Whoopi recounted in her memoir Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me. “Lines of cocaine were laid out on tables and bathroom counters, ready for anyone to take.”

She continued using heavily for about a year before the effects of cocaine began to take a serious toll, causing her to hallucinate. Her most significant wake-up call occurred during a stay in a luxury hotel in NYC, where she was caught using cocaine in her hotel room closet by a housekeeper. After alarming the housekeeper, she decided to quit cold turkey.

Alec Baldwin experienced a tumultuous phase in his life where he was using cocaine daily after relocating from New York to Los Angeles. Reflecting on this time in the 1980s, Alec described cocaine as “like coffee” and noted that it was prevalent among those in his circle. Fortunately, he managed to get sober, giving up both alcohol and drugs on February 23, 1985.

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

Steven Tyler has endured a challenging journey with drug addiction throughout his life, leading him to rehab at least nine times. Reflecting on his past, he revealed that he spent an astonishing $5 million on cocaine during the 1970s and 1980s, a period when his band Aerosmith required venues to provide an off-stage area specifically for cocaine use.

“I needed blow. I needed that cocaine. I craved it,” he shared during an interview with Dateline in 2011, adding that it nearly ruined his life. “It took my children away, it took my marriages away. I was on my knees.”

He continued, “There are three outcomes that happen when you’re addicted to drugs: death, jail, or madness. I can’t stress that enough. The only reason I end up in rehab is that I used to the point of falling down. My children would say, ‘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 street.”

Demi Lovato has bravely opened up about her struggle with drug addiction as a teenager and young adult, which ultimately led to a near-fatal overdose. At one point, Demi revealed that she could not go an hour without cocaine and felt compelled to 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 escalated into a dangerous situation.

“I had never tried meth before, but I did. I mixed it with Molly, cocaine, weed, alcohol, and oxycodone. That alone should have killed me,” Demi shared in her Dancing With The Devil documentary.

Shortly thereafter, Demi overdosed, resulting in three strokes that caused brain damage, a heart attack, and multiple organ failure. She even experienced temporary blindness. Despite such a traumatic experience, she relapsed again but subsequently checked herself into rehab for two months and has since maintained her sobriety for several years.

At just 14 years old, Jack Black found himself grappling with drug addiction as he navigated the emotional turmoil of his parents’ divorce. He fell in with the wrong crowd at school, leading to a rapid addiction to cocaine. During this difficult period, his parents enrolled him in a school for “troubled youth” in the Los Angeles area, where he received support from a compassionate therapist.

“I poured my heart out to him, admitting that I felt guilty for stealing from my mother to fund my cocaine habit,” he told Parade. “I cried like a child. It was a major release and a significant relief. I left feeling euphoric, as if an immense weight had been lifted from my shoulders. It truly changed me.”

Nicole Richie faced her own battle with drug addiction as a teenager, starting with cocaine. Looking back, she attributes her struggles to feelings of boredom and a desire for excitement. She turned to drugs and partying but ultimately realized she needed to seek help to turn her life around.

“I got so much so quickly that nothing really excited me anymore. I took matters into my own hands and created 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.

Sadly, after overcoming her cocaine habit, she turned to heroin and had to enter rehab once again. Fortunately, she has been sober for several years now.

Dennis Quaid battled a long-term cocaine addiction, explaining that growing up in the ’60s and ’70s brought about a drastically different perspective on drug use. Looking back, he admits to using cocaine on a daily basis and managing to function whenever he needed to work. However, during his relationship with Meg Ryan, he experienced a profound vision of his future, prompting him to turn his life around and seek treatment.

“I had what I call a white-light experience, where I saw myself either dead or losing everything that mattered to me,” he recounted during an interview with Megyn Kelly.

He elaborated, “That was the end of my love affair with cocaine… I meditated for two straight years. I read the Bible, the Dhammapada, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Quran. I immersed myself in the mystery because that’s what addiction is really about — trying to fill a void within yourself.”

Bradley Cooper struggled with an addiction to cocaine during his twenties, even before he became a major star. He revealed that around the time he left Alias, he suffered an Achilles tendon injury and began using drugs as a coping mechanism. As he faced challenges in finding work and battled self-esteem issues, it was a heartfelt conversation with his friend Will Arnett that ultimately changed his life.

“I was so lost, and I was addicted to cocaine,” Bradley confessed on Will’s SmartLess podcast. “Will took that risk of having that difficult conversation with me in July 2004, which set me on a course to change my life. He is truly the reason for my transformation.”

Josh Peck has candidly admitted to his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, including cocaine, as a teenager. He reflects on how this battle began while he was grappling with weight issues. Although he believed that losing 125 pounds would improve his life, he soon realized that he was still dealing with the same mental health challenges and self-esteem issues. It wasn’t until he tried drugs at a party that he felt a fleeting sense of freedom, leading him down a dark path of addiction, eventually realizing he had swapped his food addiction for substance abuse.

“But I ultimately realized that whether my life was beyond my wildest dreams or a complete disaster, it didn’t change the turmoil in my mind,” he shared with People. “I knew that nothing in the external world would make me feel whole.”

Josh achieved sobriety at the age of 21, recognizing the pain his addiction caused to his loved ones and committing to a healthier lifestyle.

Chet Hanks, son of renowned actor Tom Hanks, struggled with addiction for several years before reaching a critical turning point in his life. During an appearance on The Surreal Life, Chet reflected on a moment that changed everything, which occurred after a three-day cocaine binge in Las Vegas where he “didn’t eat, sleep, or barely drink any water.” Following this experience, he checked into rehab and has now maintained his sobriety for over two years.

“When I arrived in Vegas, I weighed 190 lbs. By the end of it, I was down to 163. I lost 27 lbs in three days, so my addiction is severe. It’s not pretty. I went straight from Vegas to rehab… again,” Chet recounted on the show.

He continued, “Here I am, 31 years old, broke, strung out, emaciated, at rock bottom. I just knew that if I didn’t drastically change my life, either I wouldn’t be around much longer, or something truly terrible would happen, making my life feel effectively over.”

AJ McLean can pinpoint the exact moment when his battle with drug addiction began — on the set of the Backstreet Boys music video for “The Call.” He tried cocaine during a late-night shoot and managed to keep his growing addiction hidden from the band for over a year. Eventually, he was convinced to enter rehab, but after his treatment, he continued to struggle with substance use on and off for the next two decades.

“I’d go to bed when the sun was rising and wake up when the sun was down,” he shared with People. “As they say, the definition of madness is repeating the same mistakes over and over while expecting different results… I thought drugs and alcohol would make my feelings of insecurity disappear. But that’s not how it works.”

His breaking point came when his daughter noticed the smell of alcohol on him and told him he didn’t “smell like her daddy.” AJ then took the opportunity during the pandemic to focus on his sobriety.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, reach out for help. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) offers 24/7, free, confidential support for individuals in distress.