Denzel Washington On Drinking Struggles And Sobriety

Ahead of his 70th birthday in December, Denzel Washington is reflecting on his physical health and the difficult moments that led him to cut out alcohol nearly 10 years ago.

Recounting his life and career for a new Esquire story titled “The Book of Denzel,” the two-time Oscar winner recalled a “fifteen-year pattern,” starting in the late 1990s, where he drank excessively.

Looking back, the actor — who won his first Oscar in 1989 — said that his struggles with alcohol began around 1999 when he and his wife, Pauletta, built a big house with a “ten-thousand-bottle wine cellar.”

Pulling back the curtain on the “pattern” of his habits during this time, Denzel said that his alcohol consumption would differ based on whether or not he was making movies, remembering that he would “clean up” when he was working and then return to the same drinking routine once the shoot was over.

Interestingly, Denzel said that it took him a while to address his unhealthy habits because he fooled himself into believing that alcohol wasn’t a problem, despite how much of it he was consuming.

In 2012, Denzel released a movie called Flight, in which he starred as an airline pilot facing issues with drugs and alcohol. Looking back, he said this was a turning point in his health journey, as the film’s themes encouraged him to reevaluate his own habits.

In December 2014, around his 60th birthday, Denzel cut out alcohol. 10 years later, he told Esquire he hasn’t “had a thimble’s worth since.”

Since going sober, Denzel has adopted a healthier lifestyle in other ways, saying he’s “doing his best” to prioritize “strength” as he gets older. In fact, he even revealed that his “good friend” Lenny Kravitz set him up with a trainer.