'Games of Thrones' star Kit Harington says he was 'lucky' he got sober before having kids
Kit Harington told GQ he was "lucky" to get sober before becoming a father.
The actor went to rehab in 2019, before the "Game of Thrones" series finale.
Alcohol misuse cost the US $249 billion in 2010, per the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Kit Harington, 37, is proud of his sobriety.
In an interview published on Monday, the "Game of Thrones" star told GQ that getting sober changed him for the better.
"I was so lucky I got sober before having kids," Harington said, because at one time, it felt "physically and emotionally impossible" for him not to drink again.
Harington — who played Jon Snow on the hit HBO series for almost a decade — checked into a "wellness facility" in 2019 to "work on some personal issues," his rep told People then.
According to Page Six, Harington had entered rehab for "stress and alcohol use" ahead of the airing of the "Game of Thrones" series finale, which "really hit him hard."
Reflecting on his sobriety and fatherhood, Harington told GQ that both experiences shone a new light on the way he viewed himself.
"Everything before kids is research. It does just change everything. I think, at heart — and I say this with love for myself — I'm quite self-centred," Harington said. "But with kids, you just don't get to be self-centred. They strip you of it. And that's an amazing gift."
Even the very idea of being proud of himself was new to him.
"Because before getting sober, I would stare in the mirror and call myself a cunt. I'd hate myself. I would literally despise myself and not be proud of anything I'd done. I couldn't be proud," Harington said. "So the fact that I am proud of getting sober is in and of itself a mark of being an entirely different person."
Harington has two kids with his wife, fellow "Game of Thrones" actor Rose Leslie.
He isn't the only celebrity who has been open about their sobriety journey.
During a podcast interview in 2023, Tom Holland spoke about getting sober and called it "the best thing" he's ever done.
Earlier this year, Anne Hathaway told The New York Times that she had been sober for over five years, which felt like a milestone for her.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the economic burden of alcohol misuse in 2010 was $249 billion in the United States. Three-quarters of the total cost is related to binge drinking.
However, there's been a shift in the pattern of alcohol consumption in recent years, especially among younger generations.
A study of 182,722 young adults in the US — published by researchers from the University of Michigan, Iowa State University, University of Central Florida, and Texas State University — found that alcohol abstinence is increasingly common among Gen Z. Researchers found that 28% of college students in 2018 reported abstaining from alcohol, compared to 20% in 2002.
While that may be good for health, it's not that good for some economies.
The Japan Times reported that Japan's tax revenue from alcohol sales fell by around 110 billion yen, or about $813 million, in 2020.
According to Bloomberg's estimates in 2023, the UK has missed out on $5.7 billion in alcohol tax since 2002.
Some industries have been hit harder than others: In 2023, Billboard reported that concert venues — especially smaller places without many revenue sources — are worried about losing profits from alcohol sales.
A representative for Harington did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
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