Denzel Washington Reflects on Faith After 10 Years Sober: ‘Give Him Praise’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Denzel Washington gave up alcohol 10 years ago and is so glad he did. In an interview with Esquire, he shared his journey from drinking for 15 years straight to a life of sobriety.
When he was 60, he decided to stop his wine-drinking habit.
“Wine was my thing, and now I was popping $4,000 bottles just because that’s what was left,” he admitted. “And then later in those years I’d call Gil Turner’s Fine Wines & Spirits on Sunset Boulevard and say, ‘Send me two bottles, the best of this or that.’ And my wife’s saying, ‘Why do you keep ordering just two?’ I said, ‘Because if I order more, I’ll drink more. So, I kept it to two bottles, and I would drink them both over the course of the day.”
READ MORE: IS DENZEL WASHINGTON RETIRING? HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW
Washington was so committed to his drinking habit that he built a 10,000-bottle wine cellar.
“I had this ideal idea of wine tastings and all that — which is what it was at first. And that’s a very subtle thing. I mean, I drank the best. I drank the best,” he explained.
Now 70, the actor credits his sobriety — and faith — for the opportunities he has today.
“I’ve done a lot of damage to the body. We’ll see. I’ve been clean,” the Oscar winner added. “Be 10 years this December. I stopped at 60 and I haven’t had a thimble’s worth since. Things are opening up for me now — like being 70. It’s real. And it’s okay. This is the last chapter — if I get another 30, what do I want to do? My mother made it to 97.”
“God is real. God is love. God is the only way. God is the true way. God blesses,” he said of his faith. “It’s my job to lift God up, to give Him praise, to make sure that anyone and everyone I speak to the rest of my life understands that He is responsible for me.”
Washington isn’t the first celebrity to choose a sober lifestyle. SPIDER-MAN star Tom Holland recently opened up about how quitting drinking was one of the best decisions he ever made.
“I started sleeping better. I was handling stressful situations better. My relationship [with Zendaya] was better. My relationship with my family was better. My relationship with my work was better,” he said.
When he reached the year mark, he decided he would never drink alcohol again.
READ MORE: TOM HOLLAND COMMITTED TO SOBRIETY AFTER STRUGGLE WITH ALCOHOL ‘SCARED’ HIM
