Harry Potter, Clean and Sober: Daniel Radcliffe Swears Off Booze
by Richard Sharp
When you cover celebrity news all day long, every now and then it's good to hear a story about someone who took control of a substance abuse problem before it became a public spectacle or (even worse) a major tragedy. You need only look at recent stories about Ryan Dunn or Jonathan Rhys Meyers to see stories of true talent wasted by alcohol or drugs. Which is why this next story actually seems pretty positive.
In a recent interview with GQ, Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) talked about why he has stopped drinking completely since August.
"As much as I would love to be a person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time, that doesn't work for me. I do that very unsuccessfully."
Radcliffe said his problems first surfaced while working on "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" back in 2009, and credits sheer luck with keeping him out of the tabloids. Determined to avoid the child actor curse that has plagued so may his age, he decided to ditch the hootch when he realized it made him feel "complacent" about his career.
"I became so reliant on [alcohol] to enjoy stuff. There were a few years there when I was just so enamoured with the idea of living some sort of famous person's lifestyle that really isn't suited to me."
Radcliffe claims he's become a bit of a homebody, even skipping the last Potter movie premiere to avoid temptation.
"I'd just rather sit at home and read, or talk to somebody that makes me laugh. There's no shame in enjoying the quiet life. And that's been the realisation of the past few years for me."
It sounds like his lady friend (Olive Uniacke) may also be helping him keep sober.
"I’m actually enjoying the fact that I can have a relationship with my girlfriend where I’m really pleasant and not f**ked up totally all the time," Radcliffe told GQ.
As a role model for children all over the world, was Daniel Radcliffe's decision to disclose his drinking problem the right one? Are you shocked by Radcliffe's admission? Let us know in the comments below.
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" comes out July 15th.