Tom Holland was 'enslaved' to alcohol before sobriety journey

Tom Holland was "enslaved" to alcohol before he became sober.

The Spider-Man: No Way Home actor revealed in May that he had been sober for 16 months, and he opened up about his relationship with alcohol on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast on Monday.

The 27-year-old admitted he was "definitely addicted to alcohol" before he decided to give it up for Dry January, a campaign which urges people to abstain from booze for a month, at the start of 2022.

"All I could think about was having a drink. That's all I could think about," he shared. "I was waking up thinking about it. I was checking the clock... And it just really scared me.

"(I thought) maybe I have a little bit of an alcohol thing. So I sort of decided to punish myself and say, I'll do February as well. I'll do two months off."

After "really struggling" through those two months, the British actor started to wonder if he had "an alcohol problem" so he decided to extend his sobriety until his birthday on 1 June. However, once he reached that date, he realised the benefits of his alcohol-free lifestyle and decided to keep going.

"I could sleep better. I could handle problems better, things that would go wrong on set, that would normally set me off, I could take in my stride. I had so much better mental clarity. I felt healthier, I felt fitter," Tom explained. "And I just sort of said to myself, 'Why am I so enslaved by this drink? Why am I so obsessed by the idea of having this drink?'"

The Crowded Room star had previously tried to quit alcohol in the past but his sobriety never stuck. However, this time felt "different" and he was able to "change (his) mindset".

Tom added that he is "over the moon" about being sober for a year and a half and called the decision "the best thing (he's) ever done".