Alec Baldwin Talks About Overdosing, Sobriety In New Memoir

Actor Alec Baldwin recently opened up about overcoming addiction, his upcoming memoir Nevertheless, and making the past stay in the past.

In an interview with Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos, he talked about his struggles with putting down drugs and alcohol. When asked by Stephanopoulos what he thinks would have happened if he hadn't gotten sober in 1985, Baldwin expressed gratitude in being able to get clean while he was still young.

“I think I was one of the people who was lucky that it stuck, and therefore if I didn’t get it then, I think I would’ve gotten it eventually. I know that at that time, what I describe — overdosing on drugs — which I’ve kept very private for years and years,” the actor said. “But, I’m glad I got it when I did ’cause not many people get sober when they’re young.”

Baldwin, who recently made waves with his Donald Trump impression on Saturday Night Live, is currently promoting his upcoming book, Nevertheless: A Memoir. In it, he recalls a time in his life that he’s tried to keep quiet until now.

Baldwin spoke briefly about suffering an overdose which changed his life while he was a cast member on Knot's Landing in 1984.

“I didn’t talk about that much, you know,” Baldwin told Sunday Morning’s Rita Braver. “That’s a profound part of my life … giving up drinking and taking drugs so early on. I was 26 when I got sober.”

By telling all in the book, he hopes he can move on.

In the interview with Braver, he also spoke about his Trump impression.

“I’d say that 60-75% of the people that I encounter treat me like I was Jonas Salk and I had cured polio,” Baldwin tells Braver. “They walk up to me and go, ‘My God, thank you! I can’t thank you enough, that what you’re doing is so important!'”

Baldwin’s privacy about his addicted past landed him on our list of celebrities you probably didn’t know were addicts. His brother, Daniel Baldwin, also struggled with drug addiction and spoke with The Fix about his recovery.