- - Anthony Hopkins Celebrates 50 Years of Sobriety: 'Life Is Much Better’

Vanessa EtienneDecember 29, 2025 at 9:46 PM

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Anthony Hopkins -

Anthony Hopkins celebrated 50 years of sobriety on Dec. 29

The actor reflected on the drunken blackout that drove him to sobriety and told his followers to “choose life”

He encouraged anyone who has a problem to “check it out” and get help

Anthony Hopkins is celebrating a huge milestone in his sobriety journey.

On Monday, Dec. 29, just two days ahead of his 88th birthday, the Oscar-winning actor posted an Instagram video reflecting on the moment he quit drinking 50 years ago.

“Here we are, another happy new year coming up. Lots of cheer, lots of fun and all that. So really have a great time,” he began. “Congratulations on reaching another year, to all of you. My only problem was I had too good a time because 50 years ago today I was nearly killed by driving my car in a drunken blackout. That’s the way it was. But I realized at that point that I was having too much fun. It was called alcoholism."

“So anyone out there who’s got a little problem with having too much, check it out because life is much better,” he said. “So I stopped. Without bragging, I got help and 50 years ago today was the end.”

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“Choose life instead of the opposite. Life life life and more life. I’m also going to be 88 in two days. So maybe I did something right, I don’t know,” he ended with a laugh. “Happy New Year and happy life!”

Hopkins has been very transparent over the years about his past struggle with alcohol abuse.

In his memoir We Did OK, Kid, published in October, the Silence of the Lambs star recounted the wake-up call he received from his doctor that made him realize he was an alcoholic.

​​Hopkins was 37 years old when his doctor expressed concerns about his drinking habits and shared that the results of his checkup indicated that he had the physical condition of a man who was 50 or 65.

“My memories of that time are foggy,” he said. “During my drinking years I had caused a lot of pain. I never had any idea that I was an alcoholic. Rarely does a heavy drinker wake up to that without an intervention of some kind, and even then it takes a while to sink in. Denial is the greatest killer. And I was still in the grips of my addiction, though it was getting harder to deny it.”

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Anthony Hopkins

The actor also reflected on that turning point in his journey after driving drunk through Beverly Hills one night and realizing he could’ve killed someone.

“As I sobered up, I looked up at the eucalyptus trees and thanked God no one had died that night. I imagined my parents back in Wales hearing that I’d killed someone or myself. I saw their hopes smashed,” he wrote in the book. “I heard a voice ask me, Do you want to live or do you want to die? I want to live, a voice answered from somewhere deep inside me. Then I heard the voice say, It’s all over now. You can start living. The craving to drink left me. That was eleven o’clock on December 29, 1975.”

Hopkins said he’s lucky to have found clarity that night. He told his agent that he needed help and was able to focus on getting treatment, noting that he still goes to 12-step meetings today.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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