Gary Oldman explains why it’s never too late to quit alcohol
Gary Oldman says he wouldn’t be an Old Man without sobriety.
OK, that’s the most cringe line I’ve ever written but I couldn’t resist.
Anyway, at a press event this week for the launch of a new season of his current project — Slow Horses on Apple TV+ — Oldman was asked about the benefits of his sobriety.
The actor, who ditched alcohol for good in 1997, told reporters that probably the top benefit is that he’s actually alive.
He doesn’t think he would have reached his current age of 62 had he not ditched the booze.
“I think — not to be overly dramatic — but to be honest with you, I’m not sure I’d even be sitting here,” he told reporters.
He’s probably right, given previous descriptions of just how intense his addiction was.
Oldman once told the LA Times: “I used to sweat vodka. It becomes such a part of you. My tongue would be black in the morning.
“I blamed it on the shampoo. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, to be in the grip of it. It’s hell.”
Turning things around
This week, Oldman reflected on all the amazing things that 25 years of sobriety have given him.
“I have recently celebrated 25 years of sobriety. And all the things I’ve enjoyed and had to deal with, good and bad, in that 25 years have been possible because of that, because of sobriety.
“There are many (positive) things: In my late 50s, I met the love of my life, I’ve got grandkids, I witnessed the birth of my kids. I’ve had career highs, career lows. There’s been extraordinary things in my life that are powerful and meaningful and are life changing.”
Oldman quit alcohol in 1997, and those “career highs” have been notable indeed. He’s been nominated for three Academy Awards, winning in 2018 for his role as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.
Notably, he drew on his past with alcoholism for his Oscar-nominated turn in 2021’s Mank.
Gary’s lessons
As anyone who has managed to quit alcohol will tell you, the energy, health, and mental clarity that comes with sobriety allow you to reach heights you never thought possible.
Oldman achieved his Mank nomination at age 60 and, as he describes it, met the love of his life in his late 50s.
Had he continued drinking at the pace he was in his late 30s, he’d almost certainly be dead. He definitely wouldn’t have snagged three best actor Oscar nominations.
I can vouch for quitting alcohol at around the same age Gary Oldman did. Having gone through some stops and starts trying to quit in my late 30s, I finally broke through this year at 41.
I’m now in the best shape of my life and have a successful side business — two things that alcohol always got in the way of earlier in my life.
I look at my future with excitement now instead of dread.
Remember: it’s never too late to quit. You never know what wonderful things could be waiting around the corner.
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