Barry Keoghan is speaking candidly about his struggle with drug addiction.
The Saltburn star, 32, revealed in a recent interview with Hollywood Authentic he is aware of and accepting of his sobriety struggle.
“I’m not in denial anymore. I understand that I do have an addiction, and I am an addict,” Keoghan told the outlet. “You know, when you accept that, you finally can move on, and learn to work with it.”
During the conversation, which also included details about his “tough” upbringing in Dublin, Keoghan admitted that although he lost both parents to drug addiction, it was hard for him to keep clean.
“My father passed away as a result of [something] similar and I lost my mum to it. I’ve lost two uncles and a cousin to drugs. That should be enough to go, ‘OK, if I dabble here, I’m f*****,'” he said. “But your curiosity is a powerful thing. Sometimes it’s beneficial, and sometimes it’s detrimental. For me, it was detrimental.”
Keoghan said “even my own son coming into this world” didn’t stop his curiosity and that being part of the Hollywood lifestyle provided “an enormous amount of pressure.”
During the interview, Keoghan pulled up his sleeves to reveal marks on his arms from drug-induced injuries.
“I’ve got scars here to literally prove it,” he said. “They’re a result of using.”
Keoghan noted, “I’m at peace now, and responsible for everything that I do. I’m accepting. I’m present. I’m content. I’m a father.”
“I feel like I’ve arrived,” he added. “I [apologize], too, mainly to myself more than anything else for all the pain I’ve put people and myself through.”
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