Bradley Cooper is opening up about his struggle with addiction and speaking candidly about getting sober.
The 37-year-old actor told The Hollywood Reporter that he got clean at 29.
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"I don't drink or do drugs anymore," he told THR. "Being sober helps a great deal ... I remember looking at my life, my apartment, my dogs [when I was still using], and I thought, 'What's happening?' "
Looking back, the actor recalls one low point that landed him in the hospital.
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"I was at a party and deliberately bashed my head on the concrete floor -- like, 'Hey, look how tough I am!' And I came up, and blood dripped down. And then I did it again. I spent the night at St. Vincent's Hospital with a sock of ice, waiting for them to stitch me up," he said.
His struggle to stay clean was related to his public image and living in the Hollywood spotlight.
"I was so concerned what you thought of me, how I was coming across, how I would survive the day. I always felt like an outsider," he told THR. "I just lived in my head. I realized I wasn't going to live up to my potential, and that scared the hell out of me. I thought, 'Wow, I'm actually gonna ruin my life; I'm really gonna ruin it.'"
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Admitting he had a problem was not easy for the actor, who is starring in "The Words," opening on September 7.
"Part of me believed it, and part of me didn't," he added.
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-- Jesse Spero
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