Stars Who Beat Addiction

Ben Affleck: Not a Daredevil Any Longer
In 2001, Affleck tackled his addiction to liquor by checking himself into rehab after a weekend of excess in Las Vegas."Ben is a self-aware and smart man who had decided that a fuller life awaits him without alcohol," his representative said.



Robert Downey Jr: Iron Man
In 1999, the infamously drug-abusing but acclaimed actor compared his addiction to suicide: "It's like I have a loaded gun in my mouth and my finger's on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gunmetal." He was saying it to a judge at one of countless court appearances related to heroin, cocaine, or valium. At one point, even Woody Allen couldn't cast him in a film because Downey was uninsurable. Since his last arrest and stint in rehab in 2001, however, he's made a remarkable comeback, and is now one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood.



Robin Williams: Funnyman's Dark Side
The comedian was so shocked by the death of pal John Belushi in 1982 that he sought to end his addiction to cocaine. In 2006, he checked himself into rehab after suffering a relapse into alcoholism.



Drew Barrymore: Bucking the Child-Star Curse
As a child star, Drew Barrymore was a regular at Studio 54, began smoking at 9, drinking at 11, smoking pot at 12, and doing coke at 13. She went into rehab at 13, and attempted suicide and then returned to rehab at 14. Since those dark days, however, Barrymore -- who doesn't claim to be 100-percent sober but says she's achieved a balance -- has become a child-star success story. She is now a notable actress and director, and has her own production company.



Anthony Hopkins: Defeating the Dragon
The celebrated Welsh actor stopped drinking in 1975, and has enrolled in 12-step programs. He credits a "golden voice" for saving him from alcoholism. "For me, giving it up was finding the airlock, the escape hatch. It all happened one Monday morning in 1975. It was as if a voice said, 'Ready! Go!' It was that clear, the voice of gold. The best part of myself, my subconscious, came to rescue me,'" he said.



Samuel L. Jackson: Used the Force
The movie star battled a serious heroin and cocaine addiction, suffering a number of overdoses before his family entered him into rehab in 1991. A couple weeks after he got out, he got one of his first major roles in Jungle Fever ... as a crack addict.


Russell Brand: Clean-Up Potty Mouth
The foulmouthed British comedian is a former sex and heroin addict who quit his habits after being caught doing drugs in a bathroom at a Christmas party. He's been clean and sober since 2002.