Al Pacino
The alcohol was driving him crazy
Al Pacino used to drown his excessive demands in alcohol.
© imago/ZUMA Press Wire / Billy Bennight
In his biography “Sonny Boy”, Al Pacino reveals what got him out of the spiral of addiction and who helped more than any therapy.
Suddenly he couldn’t remember anymore: After “blackouts” impaired his memory, Al Pacino (84) swore off alcohol and drugs. The actor spoke to the American “People” magazine about his biggest vice.
The star turned to alcohol and drugs early on because he was struggling with life in the spotlight after he became world famous for his role in “The Godfather” (1972). Pacino has now been sober for four decades. How did he manage that? He realized it was time for him to quit when his excessive lifestyle began to cloud his memory: “I started forgetting things at a young age – they called them blackouts, so I got nervous.”
“I was in the AA for a while”
Pacino also mentioned that he initially tried enrolling in Alcoholics Anonymous, but found the therapy group unhelpful. His mentor, business partner and friend, the British dramaturg Charlie Laughton, then took on the role of sponsor for him. “I was in AA for a while. It’s a great place, but it wasn’t for me. Laughton’s support helped me,” Pacino said.
The Oscar winner has been sober for 40 years. Something else caused a near-death experience a few years ago: When Al Pacino fell ill with Covid at the height of the pandemic, before vaccines were available, he almost died. “I fainted. When I opened my eyes, there were six paramedics in my living room,” he said. “I had no pulse. Everyone thought I was dead.”
The screen legend writes openly about his health setbacks, his childhood, career, fatherhood and alcohol abuse in his new memoir “Sonny Boy” (from October 15th, Penguin Verlag). Pacino revealed that he wrote the book partly as a record for his four children. “The book was long overdue. I’m in my 85th year. When you get that old and start experiencing old age, you understand why they write things down.”
His conclusion: “At least in my opinion, I had a pretty great life.”