Robert Downey Jr., Ben Affleck, Keith Richards and More Celebrities Who Overcame Addiction

Adele almost lost her chance to become the superstar she is now because of alcohol addiction.

The Grammy-winning singer has been open about her battle with alcohol and how she became addicted to it in the past. Her struggles started when she worried about how she looked. She tried getting rid of those thoughts by drinking, but it soon became an uncontrollable habit.

In November 2021, the "Easy On Me" singer sat down during an interview with Oprah Winfrey and candidly spoke about her decision to quit drinking after divorcing her ex-husband, Simon Konecki.

She also held an Instagram Live, where she disclosed that she gave up her drinking habits to protect her voice.

Before Ben Affleck rose to fame, he dealt with personal issues that led him to become alcohol dependent.

The Good Will Hunting star's father was an alcoholic, and he soon noticed that he was also drinking all day, every day. In 1997, he decided to stop drinking, but he went through sober slips for years until his now-wife, Jennifer Lopez, came to rescue him.

Affleck revealed in a January 2021 episode of "The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter" podcast that he feels good after going through a lot while dealing with his alcohol addiction.

Bradley Cooper's Hollywood life hasn't always been smooth sailing.

In 2006, his charges for possession of cocaine cast a shadow over his long-running career. After his arrest, he decided to go sober and embrace a healthier lifestyle.

During a conversation with Will Arnett on his "Smartless" podcast, the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves actor said the host helped him recover.

"I was so lost, and I was addicted to cocaine," Cooper said. "Will took that risk of having that hard conversation with me in, like, July of 2004 and that put me on a path of deciding to change my life. It truly was Will Arnett. He is the reason."

Britney Spears' substance addiction changed her career, life and appearance all at once.

A former confidante of the "Toxic" singer testified in 2012 that she allegedly got hooked on drugs in 2007, Reuters reported. Sam Lufti told the jurors in the civil trial he filed against his former friend and her parents that Spears wanted to get clean but "was struggling."

"I told her she needed to do it because she was the mother of two young sons," Lufti claimed. "I told her that society wouldn't tolerate a mother who was abusing drugs."

Amid her sobriety, Chrissy Teigen bravely shares her ups and downs in her interviews.

John Legend's wife told Cosmopolitan in August 2017 that her family has a history of alcohol abuse. Her journey also has slips that she started to drink again in the years thereafter.

However, the book Quit Like a Woman — which she received on her 35th birthday in November 2020 — soon inspired her to begin her sobriety journey again.

Courtney Love's substance addiction scored the spotlight in the past years.

The 59-year-old Hole founder started doing drugs when she was 16 and tried heroin a few times. Although she consumed more cocaine and Seconal than other drugs, she soon became addicted to more substances, even during her pregnancy.

She infamously showed the worrying effects of her struggles, including her wasted time during the 1995 MTV VMAs.

Love, fortunately, saw the light after promising The People vs. Larry Flint director Milos Formon she would not do drugs anymore.

Demi Lovato's skyrocketing fame also brought a negative effect on her life.

The "Heart Attack" singer once spoke to The Huffington Post regarding her problems with drugs. She struggled with cocaine addiction and even suffered heroin laced with fentanyl overdose in 2018.

"I couldn't go 30 minutes to an hour without cocaine, and I would bring it on airplanes," she said. "I would smuggle it basically and just wait until everyone in first class would go to sleep, and I would do it right there."

Lovato's 2021 documentary series, Dancing With the Devil, detailed her addiction and the health issues she suffered from because of her habits, including strokes and a heart attack.

Eric Clapton joined the list of celebrities who nearly died because of addiction.

The former Cream man fought his heroin addiction throughout the 1970s, but his battle did not stop there as he soon turned to alcohol. After two decades, things finally hit him when his son died in a tragic accident. He voluntarily entered a rehabilitation program and started focusing on his recovery.

Clapton's addiction story also inspired him to launch a medical rehabilitation facility in 1998.

After speaking about his addiction battle for years, Jamie Lee Curtis opened up about her near-death experience on MSNBC's The Morning Joe recently.

"I was an opiate addict, and I liked a good opiate buzz," she said. "And if fentanyl was available, as easily available as it is today on the street, I'd be dead."

The 64-year-old actress previously noted that her opioid addiction started after undergoing plastic surgery over three decades ago.

Keith Richards' addiction did not involve only one drug because The Rolling Stones guitarist became a consumer of other substances.

The musician dealt with his consumption of marijuana, bourbon, Mandrax Tuinal, heroin, cocaine, LSD, peyote and more "refreshments" amid the pressures he felt being in the public eye.

In his band's documentary series, My Life As A Rolling Stone, Richards revealed that he only started taking heroin "to deal with pain and run away." He clarified that he was not recommending it to anybody and explained that he only made the personal choice to cope with everything.

From being one of the most sought-after actresses, Lindsay Lohan hit rock bottom due to the legal troubles she got involved in over the past years.

She told Piers Morgan (via CNN) that she never failed drug tests or was arrested for drug possession. She, however, admitted to taking cocaine "four or five times" in her life and that her drugs of choice have always been ecstasy.

Matthew Perry's addiction started unexpectedly.

In 1997, the Serving Sara actor suffered injuries after a jet ski accident. Amid his treatment, he became addicted to Vicodin, eventually leading to his alcohol abuse.

Things worsened three years later when he was hospitalized due to alcohol abuse-induced pancreatitis. The event became a life-changing moment for him, pushing him to finally seek help.

Perry's status declined again in the years thereafter due to the pressure that came with his successful career. In 2022, he revealed to People that he had health scares, including a colon burst due to opioid overuse.

"The doctors told my family that I had a 2 percent chance to live," he told the outlet. "I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that's called a Hail Mary. No one survives that."

Mel Gibson dealt with addiction and legal battles at the same time.

He was arrested in 2006 on suspected drunk driving and charged with driving under the influence three years later, Los Angeles Times reported. He soon put an end to his battle with alcoholism by checking himself into a rehabilitation facility.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe almost had a different Iron Man star if Robert Downey Jr. never overcame his addiction.

The Avengers actor developed alcohol addiction when he was eight because of his own father's struggles with the substance. He served prison sentences for years due to drug and alcohol-related issues.

Downey Jr.'s saving grace arrived when he met his wife, Susan Downey. She soon gave him an ultimatum that he quit drugs for good starting in 2003, and he maintained his sobriety by going through 12-step programs, therapy, yoga and meditation.

Russell Brand's family and fans made his recovery journey possible, and he just celebrated his 20 years sober in December 2022 after ending his alcohol and heroin consumption in 2003.

He marked the milestone in an Instagram video and thanked everyone for the love and support as he stayed clean for decades.

"It's always there – dormant," he told Oprah Winfrey in an interview, per USA Today. "If something provokes it, you'll be back out there. I know that about myself."