Celebrities You'd Be Surprised Had Substance Abuse Problems But Are Now In Recovery

You hear of celebrities all the time struggling with addiction. The seemingly never-ending stories of celebrities dying from drug-related deaths haunt us; Micheal Jackson, Jimi Hendricks, Kirk Cobain; but what about the ones who've overcome the perils of addiction. We rarely hear of these. That's not to say the don't exist because they do. I find these stories to be much more inspiring and hopeful, especially for individuals going through substance abuse problems now. Addiction does not discriminate, but there is hope and these celebrities are proof.

Bradly Cooper

Were you aware that Bradley Cooper used to struggle with drugs and alcohol? During the early stages of Brad's career, he struggled with alcohol, opioids along with depression. Well, since 2004 (at the age of 29) he has been clean and living a life in recovery. Cooper said that "if I continued it, I was really going to sabotage my whole life."

Ironically Bradley played the character, Jackson Maine, in "A Star is Born." In the movie, Jackson also struggled with many of the same issues Cooper did in his early life like alcohol and opioid addiction and even depression. Cooper said playing the role was a cathartic experience.

Emma Stone, an actress he has worked with on several films, noticed this transformation herself, saying “He’s gotten more and more present in his life as he got older.”

Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore most recognizably known for her role in E.T. and being the daughter of actor parents.

Drew made headlines by going to rehab at the age of 13. She had developed a drinking problem at the age of 11 and a drug problem at the age of 12! By 13 she was mentally disturbed and her mother put her in a psychiatric institution.

Fortunately for her, she managed to pick herself up after this. The silver lining of treating addiction early is that it is easier to correct.

Today, Barrymore continues to have a successful acting career and lives with her husband Will Kopelman and her two daughters.

Elton John

If you've seen the movie "Rocketman" you are most likely very well aware of his struggles with alcohol and cocaine.

Over 16 years throughout much of the 1970s and 1980s, John turned to drugs to combat his shyness and substance abuse almost killed him.

When Sir Elton John's friend, the young AIDS activist Ryan White, died in 1990, he began to regret he had spent the previous decade absorbed in alcohol and cocaine misuse. That same year he sought help for his substance abuse and is sober to this day.

Kieth Urban

Another surprising celebrity who is in recovery. You may not know this because his addiction to alcohol and drugs happened during his early career. By the time he made his first No. 1 hit, he was already in recovery.

Kieth contributes his successful recovery to his wife Nichole Kidman.

Since his time in recovery, Urban has won several Grammys and was the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year in 2005.

Daniel Radcliffe

Being a child movie star can come with challenges, especially when you are one of the most famous and highest-paid actors under 18. During his time in Harry Potter, Radcliffe would turn to alcohol to deal with the pain.

In an interview with Variety, he admits that off-camera, he was often paranoid that he was being constantly watched (later admitting this was most likely all in his head) but to deal with this paranoia, he used alcohol.

Daniel has claimed to have stopped drinking after the last film wrapped up and continues to work on his recovery.

Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton is one of the most famous guitar players of his generation, but in the early 1970's he struggled with heroin addiction. He eventually recovered from this but continued to struggle with alcohol and cocaine until he finally went to a drug and alcohol rehab in 1987. A year after his recovery success, he created his own substance abuse treatment program in the Caribbean island of Antigua named Crossroads Center for alcohol and drug treatment.

Today, Clapton continues to live a life of recovery and turns to his guitar during troubling times to " work on exercises, fundamentals, whatever will take him out of his head."

Rob Lowe

One of the members of the "Brat Pack", Rob lived a life of excess during his early years of fame. He drank at a very young age, but at the height of his adolescent acting career (The Outsiders –1983 and Oxford Blues –1984) it escalated into drugs and sex addiction.

Lowe told Oprah Winfrey that he loved going to rehab. "I didn't love the fact that I had to go and it was unbelievably painful but I like the science. I couldn't have gotten sober without rehab because I needed the science ... I needed to do the work. It was like going to law school," he said.

"Sobriety was the greatest gift I ever gave myself" – Rob Lowe

Matthew Perry

America's favorite character in Friends struggled with alcohol and prescription drug use disorder off-screen. His addiction to painkillers began after he was prescribed them for a jet-ski accident.

Matthew checked into Minnesota's Hazelden Foundation rehabilitation center to try and kick his Vicodin addiction in 1997. While he said this experience was scary, he was able to gain a new perspective on life which has helped him live a life of recovery since.