Tom Holland is opening up about his private struggles with alcoholism. The actor is currently starring in the Apple TV+ limited series The Crowded Room, which examines the subject of mental health and the necessity of reaching out and asking others for help. Holland talked about how the project caused his views on mental health to shift and added that he'd been sober for over a year.

As part of the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, Holland was asked about the difficulties of giving up drinking. In his full response, the actor begins by saying that he didn't wake up suddenly and decided that he should give up drinking.

After having what he describes as a "very, very boozy December", he felt the need to make changes. It ultimately led him to be the "happiest I would ever been in my life", though it wasn't easy. Read his full candid response below:

It’s interesting. I didn’t one day wake up and say I’m giving up drinking. I just, like many Brits had, had a very, very boozy December, Christmas time I was on vacation, I was drinking a lot, and I’ve always been able to drink a lot. I think I get my genes from my mum’s side in that thing, not I can, I can drink. And I decided to just give up for January. I just wanted to do dry January and all I could think about was having a drink.

That’s all I could think about. I was waking up thinking about it. I was checking the clock, when’s at 12pm? And it just really scared me. I just was like, wow. Maybe. Maybe I have a little bit of an alcohol thing. So I sort of decided to punish myself and say, I’ll do February as well. I’ll do two months off.

If I can do two months off, then I can prove to myself that I don’t have a problem. Two months go by and I was still really struggling. I felt like I couldn’t be social. I felt like I couldn’t go to the pub and have a lime soda. I couldn’t go out for dinner. I was really, really struggling and I started to really worry that maybe I had an alcohol problem.

So I decided that I would wait until my birthday, which is June 1st. I said to myself, if I can do six months without alcohol, then I can prove to myself that I don’t have a problem. And by the time I had got to June 1st, I was the happiest I would ever been in my life. I could sleep better. I could handle problems better, things that would go wrong on set, that would normally set me off, I could take in my stride. I had so much, such better mental clarity. I felt healthier, I felt fitter. And I just sort of said to myself, like, why? Why am I enslaved to this drink? Why am I so obsessed by the idea of having this drink? And I would look back and recognize that I would go to events for work. And you know, I can’t enjoy myself until I’ve had a few beers. And I just felt so much pressure, and this is one of the things why I’ve sort of distanced myself from the rugby community cuz so much of it is about how much can you drink? Let’s get you as drunk as possible. And it’s honestly been the best thing I’ve ever done.

I’m a year and a half into it now. It doesn’t even cross my mind. Found amazing replacements that I think are fantastic ones that are also really healthy. I found this one beer that’s full of electrolytes and it’s, you know, the carbohydrates in it. A long lasting energy. So like having a beer is now actually like a really healthy thing.

I never run into that scenario where my friends are like, oh, go on, just have a beer. Like you’re fine. They’ve always sort of really ed me and I don’t wanna be that person that’s saying to people, you should get sober. You should get sober. If I could encourage someone to drink less, Then that’s great. But I, I don’t wanna start getting into the world of you need to stop drinking because I just, it’s, it’s not for me to say I went on my own little journey. I’m really enjoying it. I’m delighted that my mom’s also has also given up.

Why Tom Holland Speaking Out About Addiction Is Important

Holland is equally candid in other parts of the interview. Given his place as one of the most popular young actors in Hollywood and his recognition as the current Spider-Man, his candidness is important. The 27-year-old avoided headlines, handled things privately, and then, when he was able to, and when he found himself in a better place, shared his experiences with the knowledge that it might help someone else in a similar situation.

In the same interview, Holland talks about the pitfalls of celebrity. It could be argued that Holland keeping personal matters to himself is far easier, given that he's under somewhat of a microscope. But the fact that he is open and that he's managed to remain sober will hopefully serve as inspiration to his legions of fans and anyone that might be dealing with addictions of their own.

It can be enormously difficult for anyone to take a step back from their life, and their busy jobs, and realize that they need to make a change. If it's the case that Tom Holland's candidness about the subject helps him process it and helps others, then it would have been well worth it.

Source: On Purpose with Jay Shetty