Hollywood A-lister Bradley Cooper has often opened up about his journey to sobriety. Coping with addiction, the actor got candid about his struggles with drugs in his 20s. Prompted to escape the pressure and chaos of life, Cooper mentioned how he turned towards alcohol after joining the entertainment industry.
However, eventually, Bradley Cooper found his way out of the mess after a harrowing experience that drove him to sober up. Speaking about the time when he deliberately bashed his head open at a party, Cooper mentioned how he realized that he needed to make a change.
Bradley Cooper’s Struggle With Addiction
Beginning his acting career in 1999 with a guest role in the television series Sex and the City, Bradley Cooper made his film debut in the comedy Wet Hot American Summer in 2001. Further, gaining recognition for his work in the entertainment industry, the actor recalled the intense pressure he experienced.
Apparently, experiencing the pressure and chaos of Hollywood made him struggle to live up to the expectations of his career. Therefore, the actor mentioned turning towards alcoholism and giving into his drug addiction, even more. Opening up about his addictions, the actor mentioned how he turned to drugs as an escape plan at the age of 19.
Further, with the intense pressure and the overwhelming feeling, Bradley Cooper claimed his addictions and alcohol felt like a much-needed “escape” and coping mechanism. And therefore, sobriety was nowhere in his mind, until a harrowing incident changed his life forever.
Scary Experience Drove Bradley Cooper’s to Sobriety
It’s been decades since Bradley Cooper chose to be sober at the age of 29. Speaking up about his struggles with alcoholism and drugs, the actor revealed one incident that opened his eyes and drove him to sobriety. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor recalled how he was at a party and deliberately bashed his head open under the influence of drugs and booze.
“I was at a party and deliberately bashed my head on the concrete floor — like, ‘Hey, look how tough I am!’ And I came up, and blood dripped down. And then I did it again. I spent the night at St. Vincent’s Hospital with a sock of ice, waiting for them to stitch me up.”
That particular harrowing incident was the turning point in his life. Scared of losing his life to alcohol and drugs, the actor admitted pledging to change his life. Discussing his thoughts right after the incident, Cooper mentioned feeling that his addictions might not let him live up to his potential.
“I always felt like an outsider. I just lived in my head. I realized I wasn’t going to live up to my potential, and that scared the hell out of me. I thought, ‘Wow, I’m actually gonna ruin my life; I’m really gonna ruin it.’”
Thereafter, the actor chose to put his life and career back on track. Ever since then, Cooper decided to change, and the effect was transformative. Since the toll of his addictions was unbearable, the actor decided to give them up at 29.
