Sober Celebrities

Choosing to get sober is an incredibly brave decision and choosing to be candid about the experience takes a whole other level of courage. For many stars, opening up about their personal journey with addiction and sobriety is a worthy cause in order to help others who may be struggling.

Celebrities like Miley Cyrus, John Mayer, and Rumer Willis have all spoken out about their decision to get sober and how their journey has impacted their lives. Hopefully their stories can leave an impact on others as well.

Find out what these celebs had to say about getting sober…

1. Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen recently revealed that she chose to stop drinking alcohol, inspired by Holly Whitaker’s book, “Quit Like a Woman.”

“One month ago, on my birthday, I got this book from my doctor and friend. I was done with making an ass of myself in front of people (I’m still embarrassed), tired of day drinking and feeling like shit by 6, not being able to sleep. I have been sober ever since,” Chrissy wrote on her Instagram stories.

2. Miley Cyrus

Over the years, Miley Cyrus has been open about her sobriety decisions. She says that understanding her family history, which includes addiction and mental health challenges, has helped her make conscious choices about what she consumes. Then after having a setback during the pandemic, Miley says she got sober again in November.

“I fell off and I realized that I now am back on sobriety, two weeks sober, and I feel like I really accepted that time. One of the things I’ve used is, ‘Don’t get furious, get curious.’ So don’t be mad at yourself, but ask yourself, ‘What happened?’ To me, it was a f*** up because I’m not a moderation person, and I don’t think that everyone has to be f****** sober,” Miley told Zane Lowe during an Apple Music’s New Music Daily interview.

3. John Mayer

John Mayer decided to get sober after a particularly wild night out at Drake’s 30th birthday party in 2018 that resulted in a six-day hangover.

“‘OK, John, what percentage of your potential would you like to have? Because if you say you’d like 60, and you’d like to spend the other 40 having fun, that’s fine. But what percentage of what is available to you would you like to make happen? There’s no wrong answer. What is it?’ I went, ‘100.’ If you look at drinking the way you would look at anything else, which is risk-reward, what am I giving up? What am I getting? It’s some of the worst odds that ever existed,” John told Complex.

4. Noah Centineo

Noah Centineo chose to get sober before he even turned 21! He explained that before hitting his big birthday, he had been partying quite a bit.

“I was having a really good time. When I was turning 21, I was like, ‘Damn, I’ve been partying like crazy since I was 17. I was like, ‘Wow, maybe I should take a break.’ So I stopped doing all that and I found that a lot of problems I was having in my life, slowly — they didn’t go away, they just became way more apparent to me,” Noah admitted.

5. Lena Dunham

In 2018, Lena Dunham revealed that she had gotten sober after a private struggle misusing prescription pills. She is now two years sober.

“My particular passion was Klonopin. I do see the way that the way I medicated myself negatively impacted people around me and decimated my decision-making and hurt my creativity, and so I just feel, like, literally on-my-knees grateful every single day,” she said on Dax Shepard’s podcast, Armchair Expert.

6. Brad Pitt

In the past, Brad Pitt admitted he believed he was drinking too much and while he always maintained professionalism, he didn’t want “to live that way anymore.”

“I was boozing too much. It’s just become a problem. And I’m really happy it’s been half a year now, which is bittersweet, but I’ve got my feelings in my fingertips again. I think that’s part of the human challenge: You either deny them all of your life or you answer them and evolve,” Brad told GQ in 2017.

7. Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson recently revealed that she got sober in 2017 after turning to alcohol and pills to helped her deal with the sexual abuse she endured as a child.

“When I finally said I needed help, it was like I was that little girl that found her calling again in life. I found direction and that was to walk straight ahead with no fear. Honesty is hard but it’s the most rewarding thing we have. And getting to the other side of fear is beautiful,” Jessica said in her memoir.

8. Colton Haynes

Colton Haynes opened up about his battle with drug and alcohol addiction, which he struggled with for a decade before getting sober. He says he hit rock bottom after his divorce and the passing of his mother, resulting in a seven-day bender which landed him in a 5150 psychiatric hold.

“Once I went to treatment, I found this amazing amount of true love for myself, and started figuring out who I am without those vices, and recognizing the people in my life who lifted me up instead of tearing me down,” Colton told Attitude magazine.

9. Daniel Radcliffe

Danielle Radcliff made the decision to get sober in 2010 when he realized he was using alcohol to cope with fame.

“I became so reliant on [alcohol] to enjoy stuff. There were a few years there when I was just so enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person’s lifestyle that really isn’t suited to me,” Daniel told GQ U.K.

10. French Montana

After a scary trip to the ICU in 2019, French Montana made the decision to get sober to look out for his health.

“Too much drinking, too many pills, you know, boom. It was just overdoing something for too long. And, to the point where now [being] sober is becoming my new high. People [saw] I was out of control, not me, you know what I’m saying? Because, it’s almost like working out. You don’t see [yourself] getting big because you see yourself every day. It’s the same thing with you being out of control,” he told XXL.

11. Lily Allen

In July of this year, Lily Allen revealed she was one year sober. Prior to the decision, Lily cut back on partying in order to avoid a stalker who was following her when she went out. Then in 2019, she officially decided to stop taking part in all forms of alcohol and drugs.

“1 year completely sober! So grateful for my health and happiness,” Lily wrote on her Instagram in July of 2020.

12. Tim Allen

Tim Allen has been free of drugs and alcohol for about 22 years. He got sober following a two year stint in jail for drug trafficking.

“It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a day-to-day thing. You gotta reprise every day,” Tim said on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

13. Cheryl Burke

Cheryl Burke has been sober for two years after making the decision in order to be the best version of herself and not succumb to addiction.

“It was just a decision that I made for myself. And it was when Matt [Lawrence] and I got engaged and it was during that engagement party that… I was like, he didn’t even know — I was just like, I was done. My father passed away — and then my dad was an alcoholic — so either I was gonna crash and burn and check myself into rehab or I was gonna just quit cold turkey. That’s just my personality. It’s either black or white,” Cheryl said during an appearance on the “LadyGang” podcast.

14. Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith says addiction runs in her family and once she realized she was having an issue with alcohol, she made the decision to quit drinking cold turkey.

“I found myself drinking two bottles of wine on the couch and I said, ‘Jada, I think we’ve got a problem here.’ I had problems with alcohol and I really had to get in contact with the pain, whatever that is, and then I had to get some other tools in how to deal with the pain. From that day on I went cold turkey,” Jada said on an episode of “Red Table Talk.”

15. Rumer Willis

Rumer Willis just celebrated four years of being sober on New Year’s Eve and penned a heartfelt note, encouraging others who are struggling to reach out if they need support.

“So grateful for choosing myself above any need to distract or numb out. Especially this past year when so much has come up for not just myself but the world. I feel immense gratitude that even when I have no escape from the feelings that come up no matter how hard or painful they may be, I try my best to live through them and come out the other side. This year has brought up so many challenges but I know that because I choose to rise to the challenge each and every time I am loving myself and showing myself that I am capable of getting through anything,” Rumer wrote on her Instagram.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) which can provide confidential and free support for individuals and family members facing substance use disorders.