Im over the moon to be sober: Spider-Man star Tom Holland talks about giving up alcohol for
British actor Tom Holland hasn’t consumed alcohol in 18 months and is the “happiest I’ve ever been in my life” as a result.
The Spider-Man star, 27, spoke candidly about his sobriety journey on the podcast “On Purpose With Jay Shetty”, where he explained when and why he changed his lifestyle habits.
“I didn’t wake up one day and say, ‘I’m giving up drinking,’” the actor says. “Like many Brits, I had a very, very boozy December. [It was] Christmas time, I was on holiday, I was drinking a lot, and I’ve always been able to drink a lot. I think I get my genes from my mum’s side – I can drink. And I decided to just give [it] up for January.”
Holland says he initially just wanted to participate in “dry January”, abstaining from drinking alcohol for the month. But the actor realised that during that time, “all I could think about was having a drink”.
“It really scared me,” he recalls. “I was like, ‘Wow, maybe I have a bit of an alcohol thing.’ So I decided to punish myself and say, ‘I’ll do February as well. I’ll do two months off. If I can do two months off, then I can prove to myself that I don’t have a problem.’”
After two months, he was “still really struggling” and felt like he couldn’t enjoy social settings. “I was definitely addicted to alcohol,” he says.
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Holland felt like he couldn’t enjoy himself at work events without having a few beers first. He also spoke about the “pressure” to drink due to the culture of the rugby community.
“I was really struggling and I started to worry that maybe I had an alcohol problem. So I decided that I would wait until my birthday, which is June 1,” he says.
“I said to myself, ‘If I can do six months without alcohol, then I can prove to myself that I don’t have a problem.’ And by the time I got to June 1, I was the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”
Holland says abstaining from alcohol for six months had significant health benefits for him.
“I could sleep better. I could handle problems better,” he says. “Things that would go wrong on set, that would normally set me off, I could take in my stride. I had much better mental clarity. I felt healthier, I felt fitter.
“I just sort of said to myself, like, ‘Why? Why am I enslaved to this drink? Why am I so obsessed with the idea of having this drink?’”
Holland previously had periods of not drinking alcohol. But this time, to make a lasting change, he focused on adjusting his mindset and owning up to the reality that he drank to “feel more comfortable in a social environment”.
“It’s honestly been the best thing I’ve ever done,” Holland says. “I’m a year and a half into it now. It doesn’t even cross my mind. I’ve found amazing replacements that I think are fantastic, ones that are also really healthy.”
The Crowded Room star says friends have been supportive of his sobriety, and his mum followed suit in his journey. He’s also realised that he enjoys being the designated driver.“I love being that person that makes sure that everyone gets home,” Holland says. “I like being a dependable person.
“I’m over the moon to be sober. I love it.”
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