Does telling our stories about our addictions help others? —Maybe especially if you're a celebrity.
Handsome, talented Brad Pitt was addicted to alcohol just like millions of ordinary people.
I'm not saying you and I are ordinary in the sense of being average or unremarkable, so don't be offended.
He's a celebrity, and we often put them on a pedestal. Frequently, they fall off the darn thing only to reveal their humanness.
If they're brave enough, they also are willing to be vulnerable.
Brad Pitt dared to do just that. And not just once. He's given multiple interviews where he admitted he was addicted to the drink.
It took Angelina Jolie filing divorce papers and a drunken altercation on a private jet with his son for him to sober up.
Pain and alcohol
What's up with these celebrities and their addictions, you might ask. They have fame and fortune. Most of them have great looks, often beautiful spouses and adorable children. They have the wherewithal to buy whatever they desire.
Why do they turn to drugs and alcohol?
Many of them, Brad Pitt included, are reminders that alcohol addiction does not play favorites. It can impact people from all walks of life, and it does. No one is bulletproof to alcohol's assault.
Pitt has revealed:
"I have always felt very alone in my life…alone growing up as a kid…alone even out here. And it’s really not till recently that I have had a greater embrace of my friends and family."
How many of us can identify with that feeling of loneliness. We can feel alone even when surrounded by many people. Sometimes, being with others and perhaps not feeling as though you fit in exacerbates the feeling of aloneness.
Pitt also said he suffered from depression and was unsure who he was.
In Hollywood, it is often bandied about that one must be their "authentic self." He recently admitted he didn't know what his authentic self was.
"Out here in California..there’s a lot of talk about ‘being your authentic self’ it would plague me, what does authentic mean? For me it was getting to a place of acknowledging those deep scars that we carry."
We don't know how deeply others suffer — famous or not. No one gets through life without some degree of pain.
Alcohol is a common antidote to that pain. Ultimately, backfiring, as it did for Brad.
The demise of his marriage helped him see the harm his alcohol addiction was causing.
Being vulnerable
Pitt attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and participated in a men's only group.
He comments:
"You have all these men sitting around being open and honest in a way I have never heard. It was this safe space where there was little judgment and, therefore, little judgment of yourself."
He also was astonished and pleased that no one in the group sold his stories to the tabloids.
Pitt admitted that it was very freeing and of great value to disclose his ugly side.
Another significant facet for many who seek freedom from the drink is to embrace a friend.
Pitt has credited his buddy and fellow actor, Bradley Cooper, with helping him find sobriety.
Other writers and I on Medium have taken the leap and revealed our tales of alcohol addiction. It wasn't easy the first time I published my account of my addiction. However, it was a huge relief.
I have learned so much from readers' comments to my revelations. I also understood and had compassion when writers were brave to tell their alcohol nightmares, too.
Telling our dark secrets about addiction opens up the portal for others. We reveal our shame, and they may feel they can do the same.
The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that millions of people wrestle with alcohol problems, but only a tiny fraction seek treatment, as Pitt did.
Brad Pitt’s revelations can help you give up booze. He didn’t say it was easy. He went to AA meetings and sought a therapist and the help of a friend. There is no need to go it alone.
Pitt summarizes his recovery humbly:
"I am those mistakes. For me, every misstep has been a step toward epiphany, understanding, some kind of joy."
If you're still drinking, why not join Brad and those of us who have quit alcohol? Be a part of that tiny fraction who have chosen the world of sobriety.
There is help out there. See your doctor or contact a treatment center, AA or start by Googling "help with alcohol addiction."
Your world and a better life are waiting.
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