Anthony Hopkins celebrates 45 years of sobriety after nearly 'drinking myself to death'

Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY

December 30, 2020 at 9:08 AM·2 min read

Anthony Hopkins is celebrating 45 years of sobriety, opening up about how he made a major life change after nearly "drinking myself to death."

"45 years ago today, I had a wake-up call," Hopkins addressed fans in a video posted to social media Tuesday, two days before his 83rd birthday.

"I was heading for disaster, drinking myself to death. I'm not preaching, but I got a message – a little thought that said 'do you want to live or die?' and I said 'I want to live.' And suddenly the relief came and life has been amazing."

The actor acknowledged that he has had "off days" and "little bits of doubt" since that day in 1975, but wanted viewers to come away from watching his video knowing they could persevere.

"Today is the tomorrow you were so worried about yesterday," he added. "You young people: don't give up. Just keep in there, keep fighting. Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aide. That sustained me through my life."

Though 2020 has been "a tough year full of grief and sadness for many, many, many people," Hopkins expressed hope for 2021.

"This is going to be the best year," he concluded.

More: Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins open up about crying, alcohol struggles and moving on

Last year, Hopkins opened up in an interview with fellow actor Brad Pitt about their struggles with alcohol. While they were filming the 1998 romantic fantasy "Meet Joe Black," Hopkins shared with Pitt how he had "dumped" the substance, Pitt recalled.

"I look at it, and I think, 'What a great blessing that was, because it was painful,'" Hopkins told Interview magazine. "I did some bad things. But it was all for a reason, in a way. And it’s strange to look back and think, 'God, I did all those things?' But it's like there's an inner voice that says, 'It's over. Done. Move on.'"