Sober curious? Here are the celebs who stay away from booze

Hollywood has always been a place of extremes, but a new wave of celebrities are choosing sobriety or moderation over excess. Here are the celebs who have either gotten sober after seeing alcohol damage their lives or who simply opt out of drinking to stay sharp and healthy.

“I don't drink. I've never tried a drug,” Blake Lively told Allure in 2012. “It's not like I decided on these strict lifestyle choices and I'm enforcing them. It's just something that I genuinely don't have a desire for.” Interestingly, she does have her own alcohol and mixers label, Betty Buzz. Many fans were confused and disappointed that the drinks weren't non-alcoholic.

After struggling with alcohol and substance addiction, Cooper got sober when he was 29. On an episode of the podcast Smartless, he said the hilarious actor Will Arnett helped him change his life.

Although 'Sex and the City' is full of booze, the actress who plays Charlotte has been sober for around 30 years. “I’m kind of shy normally, so I felt like I needed help. One thing led to another and I was drinking," she told Marie Claire. She went to rehab after she realized it was a choice between acting or drinking.

The 'Harry Potter' star began drinking in his teens to cope with being a celebrity. And when the franchise was over, he became anxious about what he would do after. "I was a really annoying, loud, inappropriate, messy drunk. I’m good fun for the first four drinks, and after that, it’s a rapid, rapid decline into where I have to be helped home. Blackout was kind of my thing," he told the Mirror. Eventually, he quit.

In 2023, nearly five years after the star was hospitalized for an overdose, she is still sober and living a healthy lifestyle, sources told ET. "Demi goes to therapy, works out, eats clean, and does things that make her happy," the source shares. "She hikes, writes music, and is very in tune with herself in general."

After facing a near-fatal overdose, the rapper decided to get sober in 2008. Looking back, he said he was "numbing himself" and it got in the way of him being a good rapper.

"I’ve never once been like, ‘I’m sure glad I had that boozy brunch!’” she told Cosmopolitan, noting that she decided to stop drinking after having a “really, really wonderful” time in Bali while completely sober. After that, she began to drink again but quit again after her 35th birthday.

One of the most iconic musicians, Sir Elton John has been sober since 1990. "It nearly destroyed my soul," he shared while speaking with CBS. "My soul was black, like a charred piece of steak, until I said, 'I need help.' And suddenly, a little pilot light in my soul came along going, 'Yes, I'm still here. I'm still here. I'm still here. I can still be rescued.'"

The actress has been sober for more than 20 years, and in 2022, she said it's part of her legacy. "Because I'm stopping what has been a generational issue in my biological family. It'll be the single greatest thing I do if I can stay sober. Because generations of people have had their lives ruled and ruined by alcoholism and drug addiction. For me, sobriety first. Always."

The supermodel decided to embrace sobriety after years in the limelight, finding peace and clarity in her decision. "To be honest, there were times I thought I wouldn't survive. I used to have a lot of problems... among others, I drank too much," she told Vogue.

The Irish star used to abuse a serious amount of drugs and alcohol. “I was very drunk or high for about 16 years,” he said in an interview. "I'd created an environment for myself that seemed gregarious and vivacious... but I was suffering from a spiritual malady. I'm glad I'm out of that cycle... I'm very lucky.

The 'Pretty Little Liars' star is celebrating having opted out of the world of booze. "Bear with me, this is an alternative Valentine’s Day post. This is a post about self-love and about the greatest thing I’ve ever done. On January 2, 2023, I celebrated one year of sobriety," she wrote on Instagram.

Battling addiction early in his career, RDJ has been sober since 2003, thanks to the help of family and friends (like Mel Gipson!). This major life shift contributed to his resurgence as Iron Man.

The actress said on her podcast that she used to consume wine like water and abuse it alongside other drugs. One day, when she was reaching for a third bottle, she said she realized her problem and quit cold turkey.

The 'Dog Days' singer said that sobriety was the best thing she ever did on 'The Way We Were' podcast. "It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I had a problem with drinking because I was one of those drinkers where [it was all or nothing]. If I enjoy my drinking, I can't control it and if I control my drinking, I don't enjoy it. That was a real wake-up call for me."

The Hollywood heavyweight got sober in 2016, after a messy split from Angelina Jolie. He credits both Alcoholics Anonymous and Bradley Cooper with having helped him quit the bottle. He also quit smoking during the pandemic, saying to GQ: “I don’t have that ability to do just one or two a day,” Pitt said. “It’s not in my makeup. I’m all in. And I’m going to drive into the ground. I’ve lost my privileges.”

This rapper tweeted in April 2022: "I used to b happy when I was high. Now I'm happy when I'm sober." Without judgment, she told her fans to be gentle with themselves.

This 'Full House' actor said he got sober in 2020. "When I drank, I was the life of the party... I was always the “final final” guy in the room. The 8 hours of drinking, laughter, and funny stupidity was followed by two days of feeling like a bowl of dog mess. I loved booze, but it didn’t love me back."

Image: dcoulier/Instagram

In July 2023, the model revealed she has been sober for ten months. "I don't feel the need because I know how it will affect me at 3 in the morning when I wake up with horrible anxiety thinking about that one thing I said five years ago when I graduated high school," she told Women's Health.

The actor said his wife Sheryl Berkoff helped him get sober. “The only way to stay in recovery is to be honest with yourself on a minute-by-minute basis. No secrets, no double life. And you have to get real,” he told Vanity Fair in 2021. “That’s what acting is all about — being real and being honest."

The tennis player said booze was never for him, and he absolutely hated having a hangover. "I always wanted to see how far I could go in the sport," Murray added. "I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that."