Denzel Washington Reflects On His Addiction In The Past

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Denzel Washington is opening up to the public about his sobriety journey and how his past habits impacted his health.

In an interview he did with Esquire, Washington announced that he is set to celebrate 10 years of his sobriety. The actor will be turning 70 in December. He stated “Ive done a lot of damage to the body, but I’ve been clean.” Denzel revealed that his main vice was wine, saying “Wine is very tricky. It’s very slow.” 

He also shared in the interview that although he has tried hard drugs before, he was never fully hooked to them. “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.”

Regardless of his struggles, Washington noted that he maintained boundaries between his drinking and his work. He stated “I never drank while I was working or preparing. I would clean up, go back to his work — I could do both.”