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Journalism of Courage
Tom Holland, widely adored for his portrayal of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has become an inspiration beyond the silver screen. Over the past couple of years, the British actor hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol and has been a vocal advocate championing sobriety, encouraging youngsters to drink less.
In an exclusive interview with Men’s Health magazine, Holland opened up about his struggles with sobriety and what helped him in his journey. It all began in January 2022 when he decided to take a one-month break from alcohol. During this time, he realised how central drinking had become to his social life.
“Every Friday after work was a write-off: Let’s get drunk and have a good time. I didn’t have bad experiences, but I would drink enough so that I would ruin my next day,” he said in an interview. After an enlightening conversation with his doctor about his liver, Holland realised that he often craved alcohol at social events, and found his first month of sobriety to be quite difficult.
Recalling an anecdote, Holland shared that he had driven one of his brothers to a poker night, and mid-way through the event, found himself asking his brother if it was alright if he drove them home instead. Sharing his brother’s surprise, Holland said that “it was a bit of an eye-opening moment for me and for him. It’s really helpful when the people closest to you start going, ‘Are you sure?’” That incident pushed him to stick to his guns and go through a second, third and eventually six months of sobriety.
The journey came with a obvious set of positives. Holland loved waking up early to go golfing on Saturday mornings, which were not a part of the picture previously owing to nursing hangovers. He also managed to find ways to better manage stressful situations, such as navigating tense disagreements during the filming of his latest television series The Crowded Room. “There was quite a lot of animosity on that set. It was not a very harmonious place, and there was a lot of arguing and butting heads. “I thought, If I start drinking again now, with all this going on, it’s gonna get worse, right?,” said the actor.
Holland revealed that his journey to sobriety was undertaken without any sort of formal treatment. “I’m quite strong-willed. When I decide to do something, I’m really gonna do it.” He also extended his gratitude to his loved ones for their support during this sensitive time. “I leaned on close ones a lot: family, friends, old colleagues, new colleagues, even people I didn’t know who reached out because they were sober too,” he said.
Finally, he shared how a life-altering conversation with his lawyer pushed him further. “He gave me a really poignant piece of advice that helped me get through everything, which was: ‘You’ll never wake up the morning after a night out and wish you had a drink’. That piece of advice really rang true to me, because my problem was that I would have one drink and be fine, and then I would just go too far,” Holland said.
