Tom Holland Says He Felt 'Enslaved to Alcohol' Before Going Sober

Actor Tom Holland revealed that he is over six months sober in a new interview on Monday, and he explained why. The Spider-Man star appeared on the podcast On Purpose with Jay Shetty, saying that he did not think his drinking was dysfunctional while he was doing it. When he tried to take a break, however, he was disturbed by how much he missed the vice.

Holland told Shetty that he decided to try the "dry January" trend this year after "a very, very boozy" Christmas to end 2022. He said that what began as a temporary challenge became eye-opening when he realized: "all I could think about was having a drink. It really scared me. I was just like, 'wow, maybe I have a little bit of an alcohol thing.'"

Holland said that his next step was to extend the dry January experiment an extra month, but that proved to be extremely difficult. He said that he felt his abstinence from alcohol clashing with his social life, saying: "I felt like I couldn't go to the pub and have a lime soda. I couldn't go out for dinner. I was really, really struggling. 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?'"

Finally, Holland extended his personal challenge to six months, telling himself that he would not drink at least until June 1 – his own 27th birthday. He said by then he was "the happiest I've ever been in my life," and now he intends to stay sober. By now he also feels the cumulative effects on his health and his cognitive faculties.

"I could sleep better. I could handle problems better," he said. "Things that would go wrong on set, that would normally set me off, I could take in my stride. I had such better mental clarity. I felt healthier, I felt fitter. I'm happy to say it – I was definitely addicted to alcohol. I'm not shying away from that at all."

The biggest drawback, Holland said, is that he feels he is becoming less and less involved in the rugby fandom that brings him so much joy. He believes this is "because so much of it is about how much you can drink," and said that much of modern life seems to revolve around drinking now that he has stepped back to think about it. Holland is still on a well-earned acting hiatus, but is scheduled to star in another Spider-Man movie to premiere in 2024.