Burt Reynolds Opens Up About His Struggle with Addiction: ‘I Couldn’t Overcome It Alone’

Burt Reynolds, the iconic actor known for his signature mustache, recently shared his personal battle with addiction in the hopes of inspiring others.

Reynolds, who sadly passed away at the age of 82, faced a period of substance abuse in the late 1980s and early 1990s when he became addicted to the controversial prescription sleeping pill called Halcion.

In an interview with TV Guide back in 1992, Reynolds admitted that he had been dependent on Halcion for over four years after injuring his jaw while filming the movie “City Heat” alongside Clint Eastwood in 1984.

The pain he experienced was excruciating, surpassing even the intensity of a migraine.

Describing the sensation as having an army of people inside his head trying to escape through his ears, eyes, and nose, Reynolds turned to Halcion to find relief.

To numb the pain, Reynolds resorted to taking five to six pills at a time, sometimes reaching a staggering total of 50 pills per day.

However, when he decided to abruptly stop using Halcion, his body reacted negatively, leading him to slip into a coma for approximately eight to nine hours while in a Los Angeles hospital.

During this near-death experience, Reynolds vividly recalls hearing doctors inform his then-wife, Loni Anderson, that they were losing him and instructing her to bid her final farewells.

Reynolds admitted, “I was consuming 50 pills a day.

Fifty!

Doctors told me that one more pill would have been fatal.

It was that simple.”

Halcion, introduced to the market in 1983, affects brain receptors related to anxiety and alertness.

Unlike other sleep medications, Halcion metabolizes quickly within four to six hours and generally doesn't result in daytime drowsiness.

During that period, Halcion was the most commonly used sleep medication, although it was also one of the most controversial drugs available.

In fact, the United Kingdom banned its usage in October 1991.

Despite his near-death encounter, Reynolds chose not to seek rehabilitation at the time because he was determined not to be labeled as a drug addict.

Reynolds later recounted his brush with death and the end of his addiction in his memoir, “But Enough About Me.”

He wrote, “After about 8 or 9 hours, I regained consciousness.

I never took another Halcion.”

However, his battle with addiction did not conclude there.

Years later, Reynolds underwent back surgery in May 2009, which resulted in a dependence on prescription pills, as confirmed by his manager.

In September of the same year, he made the decision to enter rehab to confront his addiction head-on.

Reynolds expressed, “Despite being seen as a tough guy, I realized that I couldn't conquer prescription drugs on my own.”

He further emphasized the importance of seeking professional assistance rather than attempting to overcome the issue independently.

Reynolds completed a month-long rehabilitation program at the Hanley Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Months after his back surgery, Reynolds underwent a quintuple bypass surgery in February 2010, which, according to his manager, played a crucial role in restoring his health.

It is through sharing his personal struggles that Reynolds aimed to shed light on the importance of seeking professional assistance when faced with addiction, urging others to prioritize their well-being over the fear of judgment or gossip.