Jason Isaacs has reached a major milestone in his sobriety journey.
“Twenty-seven years ago today the sun rose on the first 24 hours I’d had clean or drugs or alcohol in my entire adult life,” the White Lotus star, 62, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, October 5. “I didn’t wake up that way because I didn’t wake up. I hadn’t gone to bed to keep away from temptation and to avoid tearing up my floorboards (again) or searching every item of clothing (again) — both surprisingly fruitful over the previous days.”
He added, “I had no idea how long it would last, but that morning, as I emerged blinging, pink and massively over-cooled, I felt something I hadn’t felt for decades. Hope. I’d got through one night. Who knew what was possible?”
Isaacs explained that he’s since navigated his sobriety “one step at a time” and “one day at a time.”
“It’s now 27 years,” he added, going on to detail his intention for sharing his story. “I’m writing to see that it’s possible if you ask for help. You don’t have to do it the way I did, but however far gone you think you are, however irreversible you think your situation is, there’s always a way back. A way forward [and] a way back to the surface. Always. Just take the first baby step and surrender.”
Isaacs concluded his social media message with a heartfelt message to “everyone who helped” him navigate sobriety.
“Thank you to everyone who happened me and continues to help me try and stay sane in an insane world,” he wrote. “It’s not false modesty or humility to say that I couldn’t have done it without you — I tried doing it by myself and failed every single time, I’m so grateful to be present in life, even for the awful things, the painful things, the scare things. I ran from them before and now, sometimes, not always, I run at them. I show it.”
He continued, “Good luck. You can do it.”
Jason Isaacs is getting real about how much The White Lotus cast got paid for starring on one of the most popular shows on TV. In an interview with Vulture published on Monday, June 16, Isaacs, 62, confirmed reports that he and his castmates had each earned $40,000 per episode. “I didn’t know that was […]
Several of Isaacs’ social media followers and Hollywood stars alike were equally grateful to hear his story and words of encouragement.
“Love you man, thank you for sharing this,” Taylor Lautner wrote in the comments section.
Fellow actor Kate Gordon, for her part, replied, “You are one of the most principled people in Hollywood. 🎗️Congratulations on all of your accomplishments and for giving so many others the strength to try and succeed.”
Isaacs has previously been candid about the moment he decided to quit using drugs and alcohol.
“I thought I was broken. I remember there being a moment, not long before I got clean, when it suddenly occurred to me that if everybody I knew died, literally every single person, I probably wouldn’t mind that much,” he told The Big Issue in a 2020 interview. “In fact, I might like it, because then it would be an excuse to sit in a room by myself and take drugs and everybody else would say, ‘Well you know, fair enough, you heard what happened didn’t you?’ I know now that’s not true and never was. I love, I feel, I connect [and] I care. We all do. The drugs weren’t a way of dealing with that sense of distance, the drugs were causing it.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).