Chuck Lorre Says He's Been Sober for Over 27 Years After Finding a Spiritual Path

Chuck Lorre recently opened up about his sobriety journey during an appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast.

"Twenty-seven and a half years ago, I stopped drinking," he said when Joe Rogan asked whether he had attended Alcoholics Anonymous.

Lorre then politely shut down the question, saying, "Let’s not talk about that."

The Big Bang Theory creator also talked about his time in Scientology and the career aspirations that led him to it.

In his early 20s, Lorre was struggling to find his footing as an aspiring songwriter. Although he dreamed of building a successful career in music, he was unsure how to break into the industry.

While traveling with a band, a fellow musician invited him to visit a Scientology center in Columbus, Ohio. Curious about what it had to offer, the Two and a Half Men creator decided to attend and enrolled in a communications course, hoping it might help him achieve his professional ambitions.

"I thought that if I went down this road, it would give me an edge into the career that I wanted," he explained.

During the course, Lorre participated in an exercise that required him to sit silently across from another person. The seemingly simple experience had a profound impact on him, sparking his curiosity about Scientology and motivating him to explore its teachings further.

Lorre revealed that he spent nearly a decade involved with Scientology before he and his then-wife began questioning its teachings and ultimately decided to leave the organization.

The Two and a Half Men creator recalled reaching a point where the beliefs and practices no longer made sense to them. However, walking away came at a personal cost, as they lost friendships with members who cut ties with them after their departure.

Years later, Lorre gained a deeper understanding of the organization's secretive teachings through Lawrence Wright's book Going Clear. Reflecting on his experience, he admitted that the promise of gaining access to hidden knowledge had initially been part of Scientology's appeal.

After leaving Scientology, Lorre shifted his focus to building a career on his own terms. His determination eventually paid off, as he went on to become one of television's most successful writers and producers, far surpassing the dreams he had as a young aspiring songwriter.

"I decided that I'm not going to look for some outside element to help me go where I want to go. I'm just going to work my a-- off," the television producer and writer explained.

"And for the next 10 years, I worked like a dog till I scrambled in, and eventually, you know, got on a show where I'm, you know, getting yelled at by Roseanne Barr. But I succeeded beyond my wildest dreams," he continued.

Despite achieving more professional success than he ever imagined, Lorre admitted that something still felt missing in his personal life. He described an emotional emptiness as a "dark hole," explaining that wealth, career accomplishments and even relationships aren't always enough to bring lasting fulfillment.

The Young Sheldon creator also explained why he sees spirituality as evolving rather than a fixed belief.

When Rogan asked what Lorre thinks of the word worship, he said, "I don't truly understand it. I really don't. So much of it is counterintuitive, but it worked."

He continued, "The very act of saying this is a thing, a noun… I think it's a verb. I think it's an act. It's a process."