Tom Holland is opening up in more detail about his alcohol addiction after revealing for the first time in May that he has been sober for over a year. During an appearance on the “On Purpose With Jay Shetty” podcast (via BBC),Holland said he realized he might have an alcohol problem after having “a very, very boozy” Christmas time. The holiday prompted him to try dry January.
“All I could think about was having a drink. It really scared me,” Holland said about going sober for one month. “I just was like, ‘Wow, maybe I have a little bit of an alcohol thing.'”
Holland’s realization made him want to try staying sober for another month. He felt that he could prove to himself that he didn’t have a problem with alcohol if he stayed sober for two months. However, he struggled with England’s drinking culture.
“I felt like I couldn’t be social,” Holland said. “I felt like I couldn’t go to the pub and have a lime soda. I couldn’t go out for dinner. I was really, really struggling. I started to really worry that maybe I had an alcohol problem.”
The “Spider-Man” actor decided to extend his no-drinking rule to six months. By the time he was celebrating his birthday in June while sober, Holland felt he had turned a corner and could continue his sobriety without any doubts.
“[I was] the happiest I’ve ever been in my life,” Holland said about hitting six months of sobriety. “I could sleep better. I could handle problems better. Things that would go wrong on set, that would normally set me off, I could take in my stride. I had such better mental clarity. I felt healthier, I felt fitter… I just sort of said to myself, like, ‘Why? Why am I enslaved to this drink? Why am I so obsessed by the idea of having this drink?'”
Holland, who is now a year and a half sober, added, “I’m happy to say it — I was definitely addicted to alcohol. I’m not shying away from that at all.”
The actor’s sobriety even inspired his mother to follow suit. “She’s loving it, and it’s been amazing,” he said. “I can’t believe the difference that I feel from not drinking. Yeah, I feel amazing.”
Holland currently stars in the thriller series “The Crowded Room,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Listen to Holland’s podcast appearance in its entirety in the video below.
