Dax Shepard has revealed that he is battling a pain reliever addiction after struggling with drugs and alcohol.
Dax Shepard (45, "Idiocracy") spoke openly about his pain reliever addiction in a new episode of his podcast "Armchair Expert". "An episode I hoped I'd never have to record, but one I owe to all of my wonderful listeners who have been with me for a few years," Shepard wrote in a related Instagram post. The podcast episode was recorded on Monday and published on Friday. This Friday (September 25) was day eleven of his struggle against addiction, Shepard explained in the post.
For eight weeks he had suffered from addiction to joke drugs, including Vicodin, a US pain reliever drug. He originally took this because of an injury to his hand and shoulder. At first he tried to get the problem under control himself by slowly stopping the pills – but it didn't work. This month, Shepard revealed himself to his wife Kristen Bell (40) and his friends and gave them his last pills.
No addiction for 16 years
Shepard has had problems with alcohol and cocaine in the past. He has been abstinent for 16 years, of which he is proud despite his relapse. In the renewed fight against addiction, he feels that his life is gradually getting better again. "I feel less sick and sweat less at night." Due to public pressure, he had kept his relapse a secret until now. "It didn't feel fair to those around me. I'm sorry and embarrassed that I dragged other people into it."