Barry Keoghan got candid about his struggles with addiction.
In an article published by Hollywood Authentic on May 1, the 32-year-old actor revealed he is “an addict” — just like many of his family members. He said:
“I’m not in denial anymore. I understand that I do have an addiction, and I am an addict. You know, when you accept that, you finally can move on, and learn to work with it.”
Barry isn’t the only one who suffers from substance abuse issues. He has an extremely heartbreaking history with it. The Saltburn star lost his father, cousin, and two uncles to addiction. And, most heartbreaking, his own mother Debbie…
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Debbie died due to her heroin addiction when he was just 12 years old. Oof. Before she passed away, Barry recalled he and his brother Eric often had to stay away from her amid her addiction, even moving in with his nannie, Patty, at the age of 9:
“I remember being kids here and hearing my mum scream through the letterbox, asking for us, while she’s battling addiction, while she’s looking for money to score. And we were just told to stay in bed. We weren’t to go down and hug her.”
Just gut-wrenching. Yet not even all these tragedies or the birth of his now 2-year-old son Brando stopped him from becoming interested in drugs, too. Barry explained:
“My father passed away as a result of similar and I lost my mum to it. I’ve lost two uncles and a cousin to drugs. That should be enough to go, ‘OK, if I dabble here, I’m f**ked.’ But your curiosity is a powerful thing. Sometimes it’s beneficial, and sometimes it’s detrimental. For me, it was detrimental. Even my own son coming into this world didn’t stop me from being curious.”
It wasn’t only “curiosity,” though. The BAFTA winner also experienced an immense “amount of pressure” after he entered the Hollywood scene:
“You know, you go to LA, you go to Hollywood, wherever the big scene is. There’s an enormous amount of pressure, and a different lifestyle that is good and bad for you. You’re around the scene. You just happen to be the one that ends up doing it.”
Many stars sadly get caught up in the same way as Barry. Now, the Masters of the Air alum has the “scars” from the injuries he sustained during his struggles:
“I’ve got scars here to literally prove it. They’re a result of using.”
Thankfully, Barry is in a much better place these days. He continued:
“I’m at peace now, and responsible for everything that I do. I’m accepting. I’m present. I’m content. I’m a father. I’m getting to just see that haze that was once there – it’s just a bit sharper now, and colorful.”
And The Banshees of Inisherin star has his driver, Niall, to thank for being where he is nowadays. He put Barry on the plane and took him to rehab when no one else did:
“Niall literally drove me and put me on a plane himself, came with me and brought me to the rehab in England. I went back to visit. It was nice to see the staff again, and for them to see the change in me. They were quite emotional about it. I’m forever grateful. When I say that Niall is the best, I mean it, because no one else put me on the plane, by the hand, literally got on the plane with me.”
Wow. We applaud Barry for being so honest about a difficult matter. You can read the entire article HERE.
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org.
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
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