Tom Holland is known for his charming smile and quick wit, but behind the scenes, he has been battling a very different kind of demon: alcohol addiction. In a recent interview on the “On Purpose With Jay Shetty” podcast, Holland opened up about his journey to sobriety and how his girlfriend, Zendaya, has been a crucial support system throughout the process.
Holland revealed that he first realized he might have a problem with alcohol after a particularly boozy Christmas holiday. He decided to try Dry January, but found himself constantly thinking about having a drink and checking the clock to see when he could indulge. This realization scared him, and he decided to extend his no-drinking rule to two months to prove to himself that he didn’t have a problem. However, he struggled with England’s drinking culture and found himself feeling isolated and unable to socialize without alcohol.
It wasn’t until he hit the six-month mark that he felt like he had turned a corner. He was sleeping better, handling problems better, and had better mental clarity. He felt healthier and fitter and was the happiest he had ever been in his life. Holland admitted that he was “enslaved” to alcohol and that he had been addicted to it. However, he also acknowledged that he was lucky to have Zendaya in his life.
Holland and Zendaya, who co-starred in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” have been romantically linked for years, but have kept their relationship relatively private. However, Holland recently spoke about how lucky he feels to have her in his life and how they support each other through shared experiences. He also joked about how Zendaya sends him too many memes on social media and how he sometimes has to delete his Instagram to keep up.
“She sends me too much. I can’t keep up. I delete my Instagram for days at a time,” he said. “I download it to post and then I have to check my messages, and I’ll have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of things from her. I try to keep up, but it’s intense.”
Sources
https://www.today.com/health/tom-holland-talks-sobriety-knew-alcohol-problem-rcna93607
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/tom-holland-alcoholism-enslaved-addiction-1235666702/
