Josh Brolin Marks 8 Years Of Sobriety With Poignant Post And Support From Wife

Nov 26, 2021

Josh Brolin has been an esteemed actor in Hollywood for decades. From his early screen appearances in the '80s to his latest era of work, including "No Country For Old Men," "W.," "True Grit" and the "Avengers" franchise, Brolin has proven time and again why he's one of the best actors working in Hollywood today. 

Despite having a father who is a famous actor, Brolin didn't get started in the business until he was 17 when he appeared in the kid's adventure classic, "The Goonies." Even after that, he only took on roles occasionally in the first decade or so of his career. It wasn't until the late '90s that he began to act regularly. However, since then, he hasn't slowed down.

But one side of the actor that isn't always talked about is the fact that he's now sober after a long history of substance abuse. In the past, Brolin has been candid in interviews about his experiences, but recently he posted about his sobriety milestone to his personal Instagram account. Proudly eight years sober, the actor wrote a moving message that talked a bit about his journey and gave thanks to his wife and family for supporting him along the way.

A proud father, Brolin has two children with his wife Kathryn Boyd Brolin — daughter Westlyn, who is nearly 3, and another daughter named Chapel, who is 10 months old. He also has two older children, whom he had with his first wife Alice Adair — son Trevor, 33, and daughter Eden, 27.

In the lengthy Instagram post, Brolin wrote:

“Sobriety is climbing in your truck for a 6am call after 8 years of sobriety and there being a card from your wife telling you how grateful she is for having made the decision to put it down and to live instead accompanied by a collage board of your children — what was created because of that decision."

He continued:

"And sobriety is when your children look at you and trust what they see (you can see it in their pupils, and the way they stand before you) — that they know they are not being cultivated into some idea but celebrated for the original garden they are growing into. Sobriety is about living better than your remembrance of what your greatest drunk ever was — an everyday malleability into gratitude for what is. None of this is deserved. All of it is perception. Thank you god, family, and friends for the most punk rock sobriety imaginable."

The actor accompanied his heartfelt message with a portrait of himself screaming as he stands in nature shirtless — a visual that perfectly fits the sentiment of his "punk rock sobriety."

His wife is clearly a big supporter of him, and she wrote on his post, "Everything stems from there." Another celebrity who knows the pain of addiction and recovery also congratulated the actor. Sir Anthony Hopkins, who celebrated 45 years of sobriety last year, wrote on Brolin's post:

"Congratulations. We love you."

Hopkins posted a short video to his Twitter in December 2020, in which he spoke about choosing sobriety and living life to the fullest back when he was in his 30s. He also gave his support to anyone out there who might be going through the same thing.

Brolin's sobriety journey began in 2013 when he entered rehab after what appeared to be a challenging year for him. On New Year's Day of that year, he was arrested in Santa Monica, California, for public intoxication before his then-marriage to actress Diane Lane ended just one month later. But through the pain, he decided to turn his life around when he chose to get sober. He told The Guardian in a candid interview in 2014:

"Well, it was another turning point. It made me think of a lot of things. My mum dying when I was in my 20s. All the impact that had on me that I hadn't moved past; I was always such a momma's boy. But I realised that I was on a destructive path. I knew that I had to change and mature. It was like I stepped back and saw the hamster wheel."

In the same interview, he spoke about his youth and the kind of crowd he grew up with. Together they got into trouble and even robbed cars. But after growing up and going on his sobriety journey he sees that time for what it was. He said in the same interview:

"I used to think you should try to deconstruct everything. Experience everything. Just get yourself out there. But I don't believe that any more. Having adventures is all very well, but an imagination can make up for all that. That's the more intelligent way to be. And it keeps you out of harm's way."

Congratulations to Brolin on being eight years sober!

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