LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Danny Trejo is ecstatic to achieve a huge feat in his abstinence journey. The 79-year-old actor uploaded a selfie on social media on Wednesday, August 23, as he disclosed that he is 55 years sober following his struggle with alcohol and drug abuse as a teenager.
“I’m 55 years clean and sober today by the grace of God!” he wrote. “I’ve done this one day at a time, and for anyone out there struggling YOU CAN TOO!”
The 'Heat' actor penned about his sobriety in his 2021 memoir 'Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood' which he co-wrote with friend and actor Donal Logue.
Danny Trejo has detailed his difficult childhood several times
Trejo, who has been vocal about his haunting childhood, revealed that he became susceptible to drugs and alcohol at a young age.
While growing up in Los Angeles, the actor said that he was only eight when he first smoked marijuana, started consuming alcohol at the age of 12, and 14 when he started using heroin before becoming addicted and dealing the drug.
As a result of his drug addiction, Trejo spent his late teens and early 20s in and out of jail. He ended up serving time in San Quentin State Prison in California by the time he was 24 years old, where the actor started attending AA meetings.
“They tell you if you leave [Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous], you will die, go insane or go to jail,” he told Variety back in 2019.
“And I proved that right. Every time I left, I went to jail.”
The turning point in Danny Trejo's life
According to People, Trejo saw a major turnaround in his life when a former inmate came to San Quentin to talk about his recovery.
“That guy saved my life,” he recalled. “He said, ‘Why don’t you join us? Before you do anything, just join us. Give it a try. What do you have to lose?’ It was kind of like an awakening. So when I got out of the joint, I went back to meetings.”
Trejo eventually became a drug counselor after focusing on his drug recovery. He said that helping others is beneficial for helping maintain his own sobriety.
“I honestly believe this sobriety and being clean depends on your support system,” he told the outlet.
“You’ve got this system of people around you that want you to stay clean and sober. If I’m driving down the street and I’m with somebody clean and sober and I say, ‘God, man, I sure could go for a joint right now or a beer,’ this guy will say, ‘Hey, wait a minute. … Let’s go to a meeting.’ … I surround myself with people that are clean and sober.”
