Early in his career, Bradley Cooper struggled with an addiction to alcohol and painkillers. He feared his addiction had the potential to sabotage his career, and everything else in his life. To prevent alcohol from ruining his acting career, and his life in general, he decided to stop drinking. He has been sober since he was 29 years old.

Early on in his addiction, Cooper was a high-functioning alcoholic. High-functioning alcoholics use their professional or material success as an excuse to convince themselves that they don’t really have a problem and don’t really need to change. Fortunately, Cooper was able to realize he had a substance abuse problem before things spiraled out of control. He decided to get sober so he could become the best possible version of himself. After becoming sober, his career took off more than ever and he gained more confidence in himself as a person.

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