Millions of Americans struggle with substance abuse and addiction every year. With 18.5 million Americans diagnosed with a substance use disorder, we as a nation are sick. For many of us, salvation comes in reconnecting with what we as a country have lost and finding God. Many addicts find peace, personal salvation, and hope in connecting with and talking to God. This holds true whether through 12 Step organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous, through personal reflection, or through your community and Church. God is here for you.
While we tend to think of God in terms of family and friends, even celebrities and the wealthy, who have access to any treatment they want, often find salvation in God. These 6 celebrities turned to God in their darkest hour, found forgiveness, and today are clean, sober, happy, and healthy.
While you should never compare your life to that of another, these stories of inspiration and hope might remind you that change, and forgiveness, are possible.
Demi Lovato is perhaps most well-known for her early work with Disney, but her early life was a turbulent one. Lovato struggled with cocaine, alcohol, and other drugs. Her addictions were exacerbated by vulnerabilities including bipolar disorder, a recurring eating disorder, and high stress. Because mental illness greatly increases the risk of drug addiction, Lovato’s case is much like millions of lesser-known people who turn to substances to cope with the symptoms of their disorder.
Her first sobriety lasted 5 years, followed by a near-death experience and drug overdose. Lovato turned to God, attending rehab. She stayed in a 12-Step sober home for 3-days a week and publicly attending 12-Step meetings. Lovato publicly attributes her recovery to God.
“I just feel like God gave me a voice, not just to sing with. He put me through those things, which seemed horrible at the time, but they were so worth it. With the obstacles I’ve overcome, I can help people.”
Martin Sheen has been in the public eye for decades. He’s beloved in roles like Grace and Frankie, Apocalypse Now, and the Departed, and the famous father of Charlie Sheen. Like many in the public eye, Sheen eventually struggled with addiction and substance abuse. Sheen eventually developed an alcohol use disorder, culminating in a public breakdown and estrangement from his sons. Martin Sheen moved into rehab and re-found his faith, attending Alcoholics Anonymous. Today, Sheen has been sober for over a decade. He dedicates his time to the 12-Step Foundation, to volunteer efforts in his hometown of LA, and to other humanitarian efforts. Sheen attributes his salvation to God and to his ability to give back, which he feels helps him redeem himself and to see himself in the light of someone who is worthy of God.
Alec Baldwin is a legend in writing, acting, producing, and comedy, well-known for 30 Rock, the Hunt for Red October, and dozens of other productions. But, despite his success in life, Baldwin struggled with addiction including alcoholism and drug abuse for a third of his life. Baldwin quit drinking in 1985 and turned to God following a near-fatal drug overdose. In 2020, Baldwin told Goodmorning America that it was his faith in God that allowed him to build a realistic idea of his life and the way forward, so he could stay sober.
Kelsey Grammar’s time in Frasier and Cheers may have looked cheerful on-set, but the actor’s personal live was anything but. Grammar turned to drugs and alcohol following the death of his family, including his sister, father, and two-half-brothers. He was eventually arrested for driving under the influence, prompting the star to attend rehab. Grammar cites God as responsible for his recovery.
“As a Christian, we always fail because we can’t become Christ. But I can try to at least emulate the best qualities, even if I may fall short.”
Nu-Metal band Korn is anything but Christian, but co-founder and lead guitarist Brian Welch found God and salvation. The guitarist left the band in 2005 following ongoing struggles with drug addiction. Stating that he felt empty and purposeless, Welch turned to God and found sobriety. Today, he’s dedicated his life to helping others and even opened a Christian-based rehab center of his own. Welch rejoined Korn in 2013, after the rest of the band got clean and sober.
“I have chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end.”
As one of the most well-respected actors in the world, Anthony Hopkins is far from anyone’s top list for drug use. But, the actor had his fair share of trouble in his younger years. The actor turned to sobriety and Alcoholics Anonymous following his divorce and has now been sober for 40+ years. In a 2019 discussion with Brad Pitt about his recovery, Hopkins revealed that he was eventually led to seeing alcoholism as a disservice to himself and an escape. Today, Hopkins uses his past to help others and still attends the occasional 12 Step Meeting.
Tim McGraw is one of the most popular country western music artists alive, but he heavily relied on alcohol for years. The artist confessed that he used alcohol to deal with performance anxiety and that he often could not sing without drinking and heavily using drugs. Eventually McGraw went to rehab, where he found God, and is today roughly a decade sober.
Millions of people struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. While many of us never seek out help, that help is there, both in the form of modern medicine and behavioral therapy and in God. If you’re ready to find help and to seek redemption, God is always there for you. Attending a Christian-based recovery program can help you to learn not just the skills you need to cope with cravings and to find yourself without alcohol, but also to find God, to connect with the people around you, and to begin to build a new and better life for yourself in His grace.
If you or a loved one is currently struggling with alcohol or drugs, it might be time to check out a Christian Substance Abuse Rehab Program. Speak with one of our experienced treatment advisors today at (844) 577-1234 for a free assessment.