Celebrities Who Overcame Addiction

With celebrity status comes a world of drugs and alcohol, because this is what you spend your dosh on when you have too much to know what to do with.

Unfortunately, a lot of Hollywood types fall into this downward spiral of drug and alcohol addiction. Sometimes they are unable to get out of it for the worst, but other times they are able to fight their vices and get themselves clean.

Within this list you will find some of the inspiring stories of the latter, who were able to take their addiction and beat it. Let's just hope they stay that way.

Russell Brand

Russell Brand struggled with heroin and crack abuse for many years but has been sober for a decade now -- although that doesn't mean he doesn't get an urge to shoot up now and then. As he once admitted while watching a documentary which filmed him using drugs in his 20s, "It doesn't make a difference to me. The money, the fame, the power, the sex, the women -- none of it. I'd rather be a drug addict." Since recovery, he has become an advocate for dealing with drug addiction as an illness and has called for more "compassion" for addicts.

Heather Locklear

Heather Locklear found herself in a downward spiral of prescription medication abuse after she found out her husband (Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi) was cheating on her in 2006. Things only got worse after the divorce when she was arrested for a DUI in 2008 and ran into a stop sign in 2010. She seemed to have turned things around but wound up in the hospital again in January of this year. However, she emerged quickly from her hospitalization and is said to be doing better.

Daniel Radcliffe

Sad but true: while filming some of the 'Harry Potter' films, Daniel Radcliffe was dealing with some serious alcohol abuse which he kept hidden from the public. "I became so reliant on alcohol to enjoy stuff," Radcliffe admitted. "There were a few years there when I was just so enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person's lifestyle that really isn't suited to me." Thankfully he has since kicked the habit and is totally fine living a quiet, non-Hollywood lifestyle.

Tara Reid

The words "sloppy mess" and Tara Reid unfortunately went hand in hand for a while, with the actress nearly never appearing in public sober and making terrible decisions that included a horrible pair of breast implants and dating Carson Daly. She entered a 90-day stint in rehab in 2008 but resurfaced in the news in March of 2013 looking worse for wear. Thankfully she was able to clean up her act again to appear in the SyFy viral hit 'Sharknado,' which debuted this year.

Kelly Osbourne

Addiction and drug abuse seems to run in the Osbourne family, with daughter Kelly Osbourne previously spending time in two mental institutions and seven rehab facilities to kick the habit. Kelly finally decided to get clean when she realized her addiction was pushing away her friends and family and her life has been on an upswing ever since. She is currently engaged and has a stable job covering red carpet events and appearing on 'Fashion Police' on E!.

Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Dunst checked into rehab in 2008 following the death of Heath Ledger and after allegedly partying far too hard at the Sundance Film Festival. She would go on to claim that she wasn't in rehab for any sort of addiction but rather due to depression, which certainly wouldn't be the worst excuse in the world. She can currently be found back in the acting game, recently starring in 'On the Road' and the upcoming 'Anchorman: The Legend Continues.'

Mary-Kate Olsen

Being a child star has a way of messing you up, which is exactly what happened to one half of the 'Full House' Olsen twins duo, Mary-Kate Olsen. Not to be confused with her fraternal twin, Ashley Olsen, who quit acting to focus on fashion. Mary-Kate suffered from anorexia and cocaine addiction that landed her in rehab twice and was even possibly connected her to the death of Heath Ledger. She is currently clean and dating French millionaire Olivier Sarkozy (who is 17 years her senior) and designing bags covered in pills.

Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes found herself in the same rehab at the same time as Kirsten Dunst in 2008, which shocked friends and fans alike who didn't even know the actress had an alcohol abuse problem. After exiting rehab, Mendes said that she is "proud of people who have the determination and the fearlessness to actually go and face their demons and get better." (Read: herself.) She is currently sober and dating Ryan Gosling, so we'd say she's doing pretty darn good.

Johnny Depp

Despite changing his Winona Ryder tattoo to say "Wino Forever," Johnny Depp said he never had a problem with alcohol (he was more of a connoisseur), but did have an addiction to prescription medication. As he explained, "I don’t have the physical need for the drug alcohol. No, it’s more my medication, my self-medication over the years to calm the circus. Once the circus kicks in, the festivities in the brain, it can be ruthless." However, he's since ditched the pills and says he has been without them for over a year now. Huzzah!

Angelina Jolie

It's been a long time since Angelina Jolie has been known as that whackadoo actress her makes out with her brother and keeps vials of her lover's blood around her neck -- strange behavior which can all be explained by her addiction to cocaine and heroin ... at least allegedly according to her supposed drug dealer. Said Jolie of her darker times, "I think people can imagine that I did the most dangerous and I did the worst. For many reasons I shouldn't be here." Since those days, Jolie has done a complete turn around, being viewed as a brave and heroic philanthropist beloved by many.