Happy Birthday Robert Downey Jr: Journey from a Drug addict to one of the biggest stars in Hollywood

Robert Downey Jr., one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, is well-known both for his work as a gifted, accomplished actor and for his battle with addiction. He went in and out of rehab for years at a time, becoming sober, relapsing, and getting arrested. His downward trajectory resulted in him spending time in state jail. He had to lose everything in order to finally confront his addiction and find the path to recovery, including his finances, profession, and family. The Iron Man actor’s battle with addiction proves that he is more than just a superhero on the big screen.

As Robert Downey Jr. turns 58 today, let us find out about his drug addiction journey, how he came back stronger than ever from the vicious cycle.

 

 

 

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Robert Downey Jr Drug Addiction

Robert Downey Jr.’s father who struggled with substance misuse, introduced him to drugs at a young age, when he consumed marijuana at the age of eight. Downey Jr. described how consuming drugs with his father became their way of connecting with each other. As a result of this early drug exposure, Downey Jr. spent most nights in his 20s and 30s drinking and looking for dealers. 

 

 

 

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Downey Jr. rose to prominence as a young actor in the mid to late 1980s. After a season on “Saturday Night Live”, he landed roles in films such as John Hughes’ Weird Science and The Pick-Up Artist, in which he co-starred with Molly Ringwald. Downey also gave a remarkable performance in the film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ novel Less Than Zero. Downey’s role in the 1992 biopic Chaplin received an Academy Award nomination, and his career appeared to be on the rise.

 

 

 

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Soon after, he was freebasing cocaine and using heroin by 1995, which resulted in multiple arrests and stays in treatment centers. In just a few short weeks in 1996, Robert was detained many times for odd and careless drug-fueled behavior. There was a time when he was pulled over for speeding and the police discovered him to be not only drunk but also to have cocaine and heroin on him as well as an unloaded gun. 

When did Robert Downey Jr. leave drugs?

Robert Downey Jr. spent the following few years going in and out of state-run addiction treatment facilities. He received a 36-month state prison sentence in 1999, spending 12 months before being granted parole. This time in Robert Downey, Jr.’s life is what he refers to as his “rock bottom”. His wife took their son and left him. He lost his role on the Ally McBeal television program. He was close to filing for bankruptcy and had a mountain of debt. He then made the decision that it was time to truly confront his substance misuse by taking a year off. 

Robert Downey Jr. after rehabilitation 

After spending time in recovery, Robert Downey Jr. returned to acting in 2002, starring in the blockbuster movies Zodiac and Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang. But he didn’t truly commit to his recovery until he started dating movie producer Susan Levin in 2003, while he was working on the movie Gothika. They were married in 2005 and have since had two kids. His dedication to overcoming addiction and reviving his acting career helped him achieve his greatest achievement to date: playing Tony Stark in the Iron Man and The Avengers film franchises from Marvel Studios.

 

 

 

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