Denzel Washington revealed that he has had some battles with alcohol and drug use. In a recent interview with Esquire, the Gladiator II entertainer opened up about his journey to sobriety.
While Washington has been 10 years sober, the legend admitted that dabbling in substances over the years has “done a lot of damage to the body.” Out of everything he tried, wine had stuck with Denzel and the vice of choice led him down a dark path.
“Wine is very tricky. It’s very slow. It ain’t like, boom, all of a sudden,” he added, talking about his vice. “I never got strung out on heroin. Never got strung out on coke. Never got strung out on hard drugs. I shot dope just like they shot dope, but I never got strung out… And I never got strung out on liquor. I had this ideal idea of wine tastings and all that—which is what it was at first. And that’s a very subtle thing. I mean, I drank the best.”
Pauletta Washington and Denzel Washington attend the opening night screening of The Tragedy Of Macbeth during the 59th New York Film Festival at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on September 24, 2021 in New York City.
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That dark path suddenly led back to his home, as the Washingtons thought it would be a great idea to get a wine cellar added on their crib. And as he stacked his cellar with “the best,” his wine spending habits began spiraling. But, Washington insisted that he never drank while working.
“I learned to drink the best. So I’m gonna drink my ’61s and my ’82s and whatever we had. Wine was my thing, and now I was popping $4,000 bottles just because that’s what was left… I’ve done a lot of damage to the body. We’ll see. I’ve been clean… Things are opening up for me now—like being seventy. It’s real. And it’s OK. This is the last chapter—if I get another thirty, what do I want to do? My mother made it to ninety-seven. I’m doing the best I can,” he expressed with sincerity.
Denzel made good on his statement that he’s “doing the best I can” and sought out help. The actor spoke to his “little brother,” Lenny Kravitz, who then hooked him up with a physical trainer. Washington admitted that he felt he looked fat while on the Macbeth red carpet. However, all that was behind him now, saying, “Those days are over, man. I feel like I’m getting strong. Strong is important.”
Denzel Washington, Katia Washington, Pauletta Washington, Malcolm Washington and John David Washington attend Netflix’s “The Piano Lesson” LA premiere at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on November 19, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
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