15 sober celebrities and their journeys to being alcohol-free

From Nicki Minaj to Miley Cyrus.
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Neil Mockford

Feeling sober curious? Good news, if you giving up booze for good you'll be in the company of many sober celebrities.

Anne Hathaway, for example, has recently opened up about hitting five years sober, which she sees as a bigger milestone than turning 40.

“I don’t take it that seriously,” The Idea Of You star said in an interview with The New York Times. “There are so many other things I identify as milestones.

“I don’t normally talk about it, but I am over five years sober. That feels like a milestone to me. Forty feels like a gift. The fact of the matter is I hesitate at calling things ‘middle age’ simply because I can be a semantic stickler, and I could get hit by a car later today. We don’t know if this is middle age. We don’t know anything.”

GLAMOUR has rounded up 15 more sober celebrities and their alcohol-free stories.

Lily Allen

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Dave Benett

In an interview with GLAMOUR last year, Lily opened up about how completely being sober has changed her. “Pretty much every aspect of my life has changed as a result of my sobriety," she said. "I actually don't even know if I'd be alive if I'm honest if I hadn't got sober.”

Miley Cyrus

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Kevin Mazur

Miley has spoken candidly about decisions she made while under the influence of alcohol, contacting people she'd detached from and acting impulsively, and her motivation to move away from that and prioritising waking up feeling “100%, 100% of the time”.

Nicki Minaj

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Rodin Eckenroth

Nicki has been open about being “sober and loving life”. This seems to be rooted in distancing herself from substance abuse, and has spoken in the past about this addiction running through her family, with her dad suffering with it.

“Once an addict, always an addict," she told Vogue. "I feel like if you’ve ever experienced addiction to anything, which I have, you always have to think twice and three times about the choices that you make.”

Bradley Cooper

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Mike Coppola

For Bradley, going sober was all about ensuring he was doing all he could to get the best out of his life.

“I don't drink or do drugs anymore,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. "I realised I wasn't going to live up to my potential, and that scared the hell out of me. I thought, 'Wow, I'm actually gonna ruin my life. I'm really gonna ruin it.'"

Kristin Davis

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Frazer Harrison

The Sex and the City and And Just Like That… actor refers to herself as a “recovering alcoholic” and has been sober since the age of 22.

Millie Mackintosh

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Dave Benett

The Made In Chelsea star has spoken out online to reach followers who might also be considering going alcohol-free. She has opened up about how it has helped her establish new boundaries for herself and take care of her mental health.

Eva Mendes

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Phillip Faraone

After openly checking herself into rehab for alcohol abuse, Eva has lived a sober life. Speaking to Interview, she has spoken about the importance of not putting a “negative twist” on going to rehab.

“The other day I was reading an article. I don’t even remember who the actress was, but she’s been around for a long time. She said something like, ‘I’m proud that I’ve had a whole career without making it to rehab.’ That’s such a negative twist on it,” she said. "I’m proud of people who have the determination and the fearlessness to actually go and face their demons and get better. This is a life or death situation. I’m not a spokesperson, but I want to support people for their decisions when they do go in and get help."

Daniel Radcliffe

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NBC

Daniel decided to stop drinking in 2010, not long before the final Harry Potter film was released.

“It was something I thought to make myself interesting and to make myself enjoy my life,” he says of drinking alcohol in a 2011 interview with MSNBC Today.

“I did become reliant on [alcohol],” he said. “I think there’s a moment when you realise that something that is ultimately very destructive has crept into being a routine. That was the moment when I decided that the amount I was drinking had led me to become unhappy.”

Demi Lovato

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Taylor Hill

After suffering a near-fatal drug overdose in 2018, Demi has been on the path to recovery. In her docuseries Dancing With The Devil, she spoke about the distinction between “California sober” – only drinking alcohol and smoking weed in moderation, with no other substances involved – and being "sober sober".

She explained that she set herself up for failure trying to be “California sober” as she is “such a black and white thinker”.

Blake Lively

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Gilbert Carrasquillo

The Gossip Girl star perfectly summed up her experiences of sober living in a chat with BAZAAR.com: "I don't drink, because I don't like the effects of alcohol, but I like being a part of it—I like being social, and I like people coming together."

Drew Barrymore

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Raymond Hall

She has called giving up alcohol “liberating”, describing her decision as partially a way to stop a vicious cycle of hedonism within her own family.

"I think, for me, stopping drinking is one of the most honouring things I can do to the Barrymore name because we have all been such hedonists,' she said in an interview with People. “It's just like, you know what? This didn't work for our family, and I'm going to stop it.”

Cara Delevinge

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Gareth Cattermole

After going to rehab and becoming a member of a 12-step programme for her recovery in summer 2022, Cara has spoken about the importance of being honest about where you're at on your journey.

“If I can do it, anyone can," she told Vogue. "But you need to communicate and be honest about it as much as you can — especially with yourself.”

Florence Welch

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Frazer Harrison

After having issues with alcohol in the early days of her career, Florence has now been sober for nine years. She described it on podcast The Way We Are with Munroe Bergdorf as “the best thing I ever did”.

Zac Efron

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Momodu Mansaray

After going to rehab in 2013 for alcohol and drug related issues, Zac has been open about exercise being key in helping him stay sober.

“When I’m very careful about my fitness and have a goal in mind, it keeps me motivated and balanced,” he said in an interview with Men's Fitness. “Balancing sobriety and work and finding that comfortable place where you feel like a good person.”

Jennifer Hudson

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Frazer Harrison

Jennifer has gone on the record to say she's never touched a drop of alcohol – because she's never been interested to. This has meant she has has to find other inspirations than her own experiences when playing people with substance issues on screen.

“I’ve never had a drink in my life. I’m sober," she said on the Chelsea Lately Show. "Normally as an actor, you have things to pull from. [But when playing a heroin addict] I was like, ‘I don’t know what it’s like to feel any of that.” I’ve never been interested [in alcohol]. Nobody ever believes it…"