Michael Phelps And The Rest Of My “Weak-Minded” Sober Heros

Sobriety and mental toughness can go hand in hand

“Addicts have a choice — they’re just weak-minded.”

Have you ever heard that nonsense before?

I know I have.

The stigma of being an alcohol abuser — which can be anything from weak-minded to unhinged — is what prevents most people from honestly scrutinizing their alcohol use.

No one wants to be perceived as weak or out of control.

Fortunately, you need only to look at the lives of some of the most accomplished people who ever lived to know that’s a myth.

Here are my Top 5 sober heroes:

5. Samuel L Jackson

Is there anyone cooler or more badass than Samuel L. Jackson?

Clean and sober since 1991, Jackson landed his breakout role as Gator in Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever just two weeks after leaving rehab, and he’s been clean ever since. A few short years later in 1994, Jackson played Jules Winnfield in Quentin Tarantino’s iconic Pulp Fiction.