Daniel Radcliffe’s drinking problem confession: Commendable?

The young star surprises fans by admitting that he struggled with booze on the set of Harry Potter

Beloved child wizard Daniel Radcliffe said he relied on alcohol to enjoy his young life, but has been sober since August 2010.
(Image credit: Walter McBride/Corbis)

The hero of Harry Potter has a confession. In an interview with the U.K.'s GQ, Daniel Radcliffe admitted to having previously suffered from an alcohol problem. "I became reliant on [alcohol] to enjoy stuff," he said. The 21-year-old said he started drinking whiskey on the set of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2007, but realized it was a problem and hasn't had a drink since August 2010. "As much as I would love to be a person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time, that doesn’t work for me," he said. Should we commend this former child star for his candor?

Radcliffe deserves our respect: The young actor is lucky that he "became aware that he was headed down a dangerous path," says Kate Ward at PopWatch. The fact that he's willing to admit he had a problem is "respectable." Maybe other young stars can take a cue from Radcliffe when they find themselves struggling with substance abuse. "As he proves, not every young star with problems needs to turn out like Lindsay Lohan."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us