Tom Holland opens up on sobriety journey: 'Best thing I've ever done'
After a year and a half without a drink, Tom Holland calls sobriety "the best thing I've ever done."
The "Spider-Man: No Way Home" actor, 27, opened up about his sobriety journey on the "On Purpose with Jay Shetty" podcast, noting that he had "always been able to drink a lot" in the past.
He recalled deciding to give Dry January in 2022 a go after a particularly "boozy" holiday season and, much to his surprise, he found it difficult.
"All I could think about was having a drink; it's all I could think about," he said. "I was waking up thinking about it ... and it just really scared me."
He then decided to extend his dry spell through February, but still found himself "really, really struggling" and feeling like he couldn't go out without wanting a drink. He said, "And I started to really worry that maybe I had an alcohol problem."
The "Crowded Room" star then challenged himself to last until his birthday. "If I can do six months without alcohol, then I can prove to myself that I don't have a problem," he recalled thinking.
"By the time I had got to June 1st, I was the happiest I've ever been in my life," Holland said of reaching his birthday without having a drink. "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," he continued. "And I just sort of said to myself, 'Why am I enslaved to this drink? Why am I so obsessed by the idea of having this drink?'"
A year and a half into his sobriety journey, Holland said having a drink "doesn't even cross my mind now" and praised his "super supportive" friends for being there for him.
The "Uncharted" actor said he doesn't want to be someone that preaches to others that they should get sober, but noted that if his story "could encourage someone to drink less, then that's great."
Holland added that he's "delighted" his mother has followed his example and is "loving" the sober life alongside him.
"I can't believe the difference that I feel from not drinking," he said. "I feel amazing."
