Sir Anthony Hopkins<\/a> knew he needed to get help for his drinking when he realised he “could have killed” someone.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Sir Anthony Hopkins has been sober for almost 50 years<\/p>\n
The 87-year-old actor – who celebrated 49 years sober last December – was driving around California while in a “blackout” and had a sudden moment of awareness that he was an alcoholic and needed to quit the bottle.<\/p>\n
He told The New York Times’ The Interview podcast: \u201cI was drunk and driving my car here in California in a blackout, no clue where I was going, when I realised that I could have killed somebody \u2014 or myself, which I didn\u2019t care about.<\/p>\n
“I came to my senses and said to an ex-agent of mine at this party in Beverly Hills, \u2018I need help.\u2019 \u201d <\/p>\n
The Silence of the Lambs actor had a “spooky” moment where he heard a “vocal, male, reasonable, like a radio voice” speak to him from the inside, and he instantly lost his desire to drink.<\/p>\n
\nHe continued: \u201cIt was 11 o\u2019clock precisely \u2014 I looked at my watch \u2014 and this is the spooky part: Some deep, powerful thought or voice spoke to me from inside and said: \u2018It\u2019s all over. Now you can start living. And it has all been for a purpose, so don\u2019t forget one moment of it.\u2019 <\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe craving to drink was taken from me, or left. Now I don\u2019t have any theories except divinity or that power that we all possess inside us that creates us from birth, life force, whatever it is.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a consciousness, I believe. That\u2019s all I know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe Academy Award-winning star had gone through a “lonely” childhood and was bullied so turned to alcohol to “nullify that discomfort or whatever it was in me, because it made me feel big.”<\/p>\n
\nHe added: “You know, booze is terrific because it makes you instantly feel in a different space.<\/p>\n
\n“Actors in those days \u2014 Peter O\u2019Toole, Richard Burton, all of them \u2014 I remember those drinking sessions, thinking: ‘This is the life. We\u2019re rebels, we\u2019re outsiders, we can celebrate.’ And at the back of the mind is: ‘It\u2019ll kill you as well.’ “<\/p>\n
\nAnthony feels grateful that he is “still here”.<\/p>\n
\nHe said: “Those guys I worked with have all gone…<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThere are monstrous difficulties in life and you take notice of them. But finally, approaching 88 years of age, I wake up in the morning going: ‘I\u2019m still here. How?\u2019<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. But whatever\u2019s keeping me here, thank you very much! Much obliged!\u201d<\/p>\n
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