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The Trouble With Sober Role Models
Even the people we look up to most can sometimes let us down.
This essay originally appeared in the Exploring Sobriety newsletter.
I love watching interviews with sober celebrities.
I’ve always considered them a bit of a guilty pleasure. Generally, I think our culture should put less emphasis on celebrities. It strikes me as a little ridiculous to care so much about what they have to say. Yet, despite these feelings, I can’t help but enjoy hearing from celebrities who have quit drinking.
I watch talk-show appearances, listen to podcasts, and even read write-ups of celebrity tweets. Again, I’m the first to admit that it’s all a little silly.
However, the reality is that these celebrity interviews helped me immensely in getting sober. They provided me with some of my first opportunities to hear other alcoholics speaking about their addiction — long before I ever heard from fellow recovering alcoholics in real life.
Although some of these celebrity-sobriety interviews are relatively superficial, others dive deep into alcoholism and recovery. I’ve learned quite a bit from some of the most unexpected sources, such as two of my favorite comedians/podcasters, Theo Von and Steve-O.
