Dry January – Top 10 Celebrities With Long Term Recovery (10+ Years)

It’s that time of year again. Where the sober curious dabble in recovery. Whether they make it the whole thirty days or carry it on past January and decide to live a life in recovery, all are welcome. This is the month where people, typically normies, abstain from drinking any type of drink containing alcohol.

Giving up alcohol can be a tall order. Many people rely on it, whether they realize it or not. Dry January can be a month of realizing you may indeed have a dependence on the substance. It can be very eye opening and can set you on a path of abstinence and live a life in recovery.

To be totally cliché, if you participate this month, keep smaller goals. Instead of looking at it as a full month, which can be daunting, break it down into one day at a time, a common mindset for those currently in recovery. Another thing you can do is tell people about your venture into recovery. This can help you remain accountable.

Some other tips to help you through Dry January;

• Keep track of your progress day by day. There is a really neat app I use to keep track of my days in recovery. The app is I Am Sober.
• Drink mocktails. I personally can’t do this one because it puts me back in a mindset of drinking and could make me want to have an actual drink. However, it works very well to help people stay sober and have a drink without the alcohol.
• Keep track of the money you save that you would typically spend on alcohol. This can be a real motivator to stop drinking and possibly attain a life in recovery.
• Avoid temptation by not going to your stomping grounds.
• Attend recovery group meetings. I go to Narcotics Anonymous, but there are plenty of other programs out there that support a life in recovery.

If you are taking this venture and you currently suffer from addiction to alcohol you may want to be medically detoxed instead of just stopping cold turkey. Alcohol withdrawals can be deadly and there are other ways to safely seek a life in recovery.

Sometimes though we need more motivation to stop drinking. That can come in many forms. One that I always seek support in are hearing others journeys in recovery. In particular from famous people who have decided to abstain from substances. I see it as if they can do it, so can I. I like people that use their platforms for good, and speaking on recovery can mean the world to someone they like or know of. Celebrities are people too and suffer from afflictions just as we do. Their journeys can vastly differ from what normal people will endure, but their stories are inspiring none the less.

Below is a list of celebrities who have 10 or more years of recovery under their belt, and a little bit about their journey. Maybe their stories can encourage you to also practice abstinence from substances.

With a large swath of songs revolving around drug use, Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, decided to go sober after an overdose. He has been semi-open about his recovery, posting a 16 year chip on his instagram. He decided to go into recovery after seeing how his life was affecting his daughter. He wanted to be a better father and better representation of music that doesn’t involve drugs.

Edie credits her jump into recovery after a bender one night when she came home and woke up to her door wide open. Since the she has been sober and credits 12-steps groups as her tool to staying in recovery. Her most notable roll, aside from The Sopranos, was her leading roll in Nurse Jackie where she played a pill addicted nurse. She was able to bring her story into the roll.

After a few near death experiences, Cooper decided to stop using drugs and drinking. He credits a conversations with Will Arnett that was catalyst into going clean. That conversation must have been life changing because he’s been clean ever since.

Coming from 80’s Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr’s addiction and legal battles were well publicized. He was losing his career one more bad choice by choice. He felt he was hitting his bottom and decided to do something about it. Now living in recovery, he is one of the most successful and paid celebrities in Hollywood. It doesn’t hurt that he headlines one of the most famous franchises out there, Iron Man. He talks about his struggles as a caution to others.

Lowe made the choice to go clean after a sex tape was released. He credits the low point in his life as the reason he is clean today. he also sought treatment for his addiction and says without it he would still be using today.

After a stint at the Betty Ford Clinic, Urban has been sober for 10 years now. He made his way to treatment after an intervention staged by his wife Nicole Kidman made him face his demons and seek treatment. Since then his career has flourished and he credits his life in recovery for his success today.

After attending rehab Butler has been sober for over 10 years. He says it has made him more present in the moment and also aided his career. He said one drink was never enough for him, like all of us. He says he doesn’t feel the urge to drink any longer.

After years of opioid abuse, Brand realized he was going to die if he continued on this path. He sought treatment several times, and then one day it clicked and he has a successful career as a comedian. He now advocates for sobriety and has his own version of 12-step programs that he has lived through first hand.

Curtis is a staple in the Hollywood scene and a huge advocate for addiction treatment and recovery. She says, “My sobriety has been the key to my freedom.” She went to treatment and started participating in 12-step programs and says it saved her life.

He doesn’t go into detail but credits an interaction with a fan as a catalyst to seek treatment and live in recovery. His drug abuse was displayed heavily in the biopic about his life. He is not a recovery advocate and also an AIDS activist. None of which he could do in active addiction.