Alec Baldwin shared insights into his journey of sobriety, marking 39 years free from drugs. Speaking on the May 1 episode of the Our Way with Paul Anka and Skip Bronson podcast, the 66-year-old actor opened up about his life and career. "I don't discuss this often," he admitted when questioned about alcohol consumption. "But I'm 39 years sober. I became sober on Feb. 23, 1985."
Reflecting on his move from New York City to Los Angeles in 1983, Baldwin recounted a period of intense struggle. "I had a serious problem every day for two years," he revealed. "Cocaine was rampant. It was like coffee back then. Everyone was using it all day long."
Despite initially turning away from drugs, Baldwin noticed a shift in his behavior. "Stopping drugs led to increased drinking, as they warned," he shared. "And it did happen. I began drinking heavily."
While Alec Baldwin typically maintains privacy about his journey to sobriety, he delved into such experiences in his 2017 memoir Nevertheless. Speaking to Good Morning America anchor George Stephanopoulos, he expressed gratitude for getting sober at a young age. Reflecting on his tumultuous 20s, Baldwin admitted to "overdosing on drugs" and enduring considerable pain. Regarding his current drinking habits, Baldwin revealed that after quitting drugs and experiencing increased alcohol consumption, he eventually cut out drinking as well. Despite not missing drugs, he confessed to missing alcohol, acknowledging his fondness for it.
"When you don't drink or do drugs, what do you do? Do you meditate?" Bronson inquired.
"I do try to meditate," Baldwin responded, acknowledging the difficulty, especially with seven children at home with wife Hilaria Baldwin in New York. "Meditating with seven children is like trying to play ping pong on the deck of an aircraft carrier. It's a real pain in the ass, man."
New episodes of Our Way with Paul Anka and Skip Bronson premiere every Wednesday.
For assistance with substance abuse, please reach out to the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
The Quran - Chapter Al-Ahqaf : 29 - 32
˹Remember, O Prophet,˺ when We sent a group of jinn your way to listen to the Quran. Then, upon hearing it, they said ˹to one another˺, “Listen quietly!” Then when it was over, they returned to their fellow jinn as warners.
They declared, “O our fellow jinn! We have truly heard a scripture revealed after Moses, confirming what came before it. It guides to the truth and the Straight Way.
O our fellow jinn! Respond to the caller of Allah and believe in him, He will forgive your sins and protect you from a painful punishment.
And whoever does not respond to the caller of Allah will have no escape on earth, nor will they have any protectors against Him. It is they who are clearly astray.”
In the tenth year of Muhammad’s prophethood in Makkah, the life and work of the Prophet were becoming seriously jeopardized.
At that time he went from Makkah to Taif in the hope that he might find some supporters there. But the people there received him rudely.
While returning, spent the night at a place called Nakhla. He was reciting the Quran while offering prayers there, when a group of Jinn heard the Quran and became believers in it.
One group rejected the Quran. But, at that very moment, another group accepted it and did so with such eagerness that they became its emissaries.
