As we welcome 2025, many individuals will be participating in ‘Dry January.’ A CivicScience survey revealed that one in four Americans aged 21 or over successfully abstained from alcohol for the entire 31-day month last year.
But how does this relate to Tom Holland? In 2022, the English actor decided to join the trend at the age of 25, marking the beginning of his journey towards sobriety.
Having now achieved three years of sobriety, the 28-year-old actor has shared insights into the ‘eye-opening moment’ that prompted his journey away from alcohol, including alcoholic beer.
“Every Friday after work was a write-off: Let’s get drunk and have a good time. I didn’t have bad experiences, but I would drink enough so that I would ruin my next day,” Holland told Men’s Health.
He discussed his conversation with a doctor about his liver and how challenging the first month was without alcohol. However, the turning point came during an evening spent with one of his brothers.
Like many, Holland felt the need to drink during social gatherings. After driving his brother to a poker night, he recalled asking if they could leave early because he wasn’t having fun.
“It was a bit of an eye-opening moment for me and for him,” he continued. “It’s really helpful when the people closest to you start going, ‘Are you sure?’”
It was then that Holland, who has been in a relationship with Zendaya since 2021, decided to extend his sobriety to two months. After achieving five months without alcohol, his 26th birthday came on June 1, 2022.
He initially expected his birthday to be a big celebration, but after 151 days without drinking, he found he didn’t want to indulge.
This period coincided with his work on the murder mystery series “The Crowded Room,” which was a challenging experience.
“There was quite a lot of animosity on that set. It was not a very harmonious place, and there was a lot of arguing and butting heads,” Holland explained to the outlet.
“I thought, ‘If I start drinking again now, with all this going on, it’s gonna get worse, right?’”
So, he made the decision to embrace a life of full sobriety.
“I’m quite strong-willed. When I decide to do something, I’m really gonna do it,” he explained. “I leaned on close ones a lot: family, friends, old colleagues, new colleagues, people that reached out that I didn’t know who also were sober.”
However, a conversation with his lawyer provided him with crucial advice. Holland shared: “He gave me a really poignant piece of advice that helped me get through everything, which was: You’ll never wake up the morning after a night out and wish you had a drink.
“That piece of advice really rang true to me, because my problem was that I would have one drink and be fine, and then I would just go too far.”
If you’ve been affected by addiction and wish to speak with someone confidentially, you can reach the American Addiction Centers at (888) 324-0595, available 24/7, or contact them through their website.