If you take notice of the turning point in the lives of people in the public eye, it’s often when they quit drinking alcohol and other drugs. The transformations and the accomplishments that followed are often incredible!
Not all of them had serious drinking problems. These individuals just saw it as a habit that interfered with their ability to perform at their best and to their full potential.
Some of them drank and drugged to excess, to the point where they were barely able to function. Some drank heavily and continued to function, but their performance was poor and their behavior erratic. In these cases, their addiction almost completely blocked their ability to be productive.
This quote from one of them, Denzel Washington, says it all.
“I made a commitment to completely cut out drinking and anything that might hamper me from getting my mind and body together. And the floodgates of goodness have opened upon me, spiritually and financially.”
– Denzel Washington
Here’s a list of celebrities I’ve watched achieve great things after quitting alcohol.
- George W. Bush (U.S. President)
- Anthony Hopkins (Actor, musician)
- Kris Kristofferson (Country music singer, songwriter, musician, film actor)
- Dominick Dunne (Writer & journalist. – Quit in his mid-50’s)
- Denzel Washington (Actor, film director, film producer)
- Samuel L. Jackson (Actor, producer)
- Drew Barrymore (Actress, author, film director, screenwriter, producer)
- Robert Downey, Jr. (Actor, producer, screenwriter, singer-songwriter)
- Rob Lowe (Film and television actor)
- Keith Urban (Country music singer, songwriter)
Some of the people listed above may have used a book to help them quit drinking. Check out these brilliant books under the category “Addiction Cures” on the recommended books list. They focus on changing the way a person thinks about drinking without sentencing them to a lifetime of recovery and meetings.
Whether a person is a light or heavy drinker, there certainly seem to be more advantages to not drinking than there are to drinking. Don’t let those “wine and beer industry” funded studies and advertisements about the “health benefits” sway your decision.