Tom Holland is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s biggest stars but even he is not immune to alcohol addiction. Earlier this year, he told the world of his struggles with alcohol and revealed that he had been sober for a year.
This week, the Spider-Man actor talked more about his alcohol addiction during an appearance on the podcast On Purpose with Jay Shetty and shed more light on his journey toward sobriety.
According to him, abstaining from alcohol wasn’t premeditated. In January 2022, after a December where he drank a lot of alcohol, he decided to participate in Dry January and that was when he realized he had a problem.
In his words, “All I could think about was having a drink. It was all I could think about. I was waking up thinking about it. I was checking the clock when’s it 12 and it just really scared me. I just was like, ‘Wow, maybe I have a little bit of an alcohol thing.'”
Fortunately for the actor, he had the willpower and discipline to continue abstaining and see the month through without drinking. He also decided to extend his abstinence by one month for a total of two months to prove he doesn’t have a problem.
When those two months finished, he found that he still struggled. Worse, it was like his social life had dipped. “I felt like I couldn’t be social. I felt like I couldn’t go to the pub and have a lime soda. I couldn’t go out for dinner,” he said.
Because of this, it became even more apparent that he had an alcohol problem. Instead of giving in, the Uncharted star decided to stay away from alcohol for a few more months. He extended his abstinence window to June 1, his birthday.
When that day rolled in, he found that he was much better and less reliant on the substance.
More importantly, he felt changes in other parts of his life. He said, “[I was] the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I could sleep better. I could handle problems better. Things that would go wrong on set, that would normally set me off, I could take in my stride.”
He also revealed that he had more mental clarity and experienced improved health. With this realization came disbelief that he had been so enthralled by drinking, especially since he was a heavy drinker and it sometimes made him feel horrible.
It has been one and a half years since his last drop of alcohol and the actor, who is taking a break from acting, revealed that getting a drink doesn’t even cross his mind anymore. In the meantime, he has replaced alcohol with healthier drinks.
Despite the many benefits he has gotten from sobriety, Holland said that he isn’t trying to convince people to be sober. He clarified that his goal is to encourage people to reduce their drinking, above all else.
In his words, “I don’t want to start getting into the world of, ‘You need to stop drinking,’ because it’s not for me to say. I went on my own little journey. I’m really enjoying it.”
Holland’s latest work is the psychological thriller series The Crowded Room, in which he stars as the protagonist Danny Sullivan. The show airs on Apple TV+ every Friday.
