Anthony Hopkins (84) has reason to celebrate, and not just because of his 85th birthday on December 31st. The Oscar winner shared an inspiring video on Instagram, in which he first wished his fans a happy new year 2023 and then revealed: “Today I’m celebrating 47 years of sobriety.”
He is an alcoholic who has recovered and now wants to give hope to other sufferers. Recalling his personal “situation of despair,” Hopkins thought at the time that he “probably” didn’t have “long to live” while in the grips of his addiction.
In 1975, however, he realized that “something was wrong with him”, but he was initially unaware that it was “a kind of mental, physical condition called alcoholism… addiction”. His appeal: “Be kind to yourself. Be proud of your life.”
A few celebs responded to Hopkins’ post in the comments. “Well said,” writes Hugh Jackman (54). For top model Naomi Campbell (52), the actor is an inspiration on her “journey of recovery”. Campbell made her drug and alcohol addiction public more than a decade ago and has been sober since rehab. And actor Alec Baldwin (64) also sends his “love” to Hopkins.
In 2020, Anthony Hopkins shared his milestone of 45 years without alcohol with his fans. In a video on Twitter, he addressed encouraging words to the younger generation and himself spoke of having “drank himself to death”. “Don’t give up. Just persevere, keep fighting. Be brave and powerful forces will come to your aid,” Hopkins advised then as now.
