Why Samuel L Jackson is a Sober BAD@SS!

Today's spotlight on recovery goes to Samuel L. Jackson. Without a doubt, he is one of the coolest sober people out there. Did you guys know Samuel L. Jackson is 72 years old? I know, it blows my mind. Just went with my husband. Saw a movie with him in it this weekend, the Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. And I'm looking at him, I'm thinking 72, my gosh, you look exactly the same as I remember you in the 90s. Samuel L. Jackson is one of the hardest working actors out there. In fact, he's one of the highest grossing actors out there. He has been in countless movies. Seriously, stop right now and think about how many Samuel L. Jackson movies you can think of. It's a ton, right? And he credits most of that success to his recovery. In this video, I'd like to focus in on three aspects of his recovery that sets him above and beyond all the rest, starting with gratitude. You can pick up on Samuel L. Jackson's sense of gratitude if you watch any interview he's ever done, if you read any article about him, he always gives credit to the people around him for his success. He talks about growing up in Chattanooga with the strong women figures in his life, with his mother and his aunt. He talks about how his community and his teachers really nurtured him and expected the most out of him. He credits his wife with his recovery. He always tells the story about how he finally went to treatment in 1991 after having gone to a bachelor party, gotten really, really drunk. On the way home, he decided he needed to get some cocaine to balance himself out. And as he was at home trying to heat up the stove to cook the cocaine, he actually passed out and was found by his wife and very young daughter at the time. And it was that incident that led him into rehab in 1991. And just after leaving rehab, in fact, like two weeks after leaving rehab, he got a role in Jungle Fever playing a drug addict nonetheless named Gator. It's this role that really helped to skyrocket his career, according to Mr. Jackson himself. He believes that his recovery is what has allowed him to really deeply connect to the characters that he plays and to the other actors that he works with. And he feels very strongly that it's his ability to connect with these things and that have enabled him to bring out the best in his acting skills and allowed his career to really flourish. Now, a couple of really interesting things I Learned when researching Mr. Jackson is that his father died an alcoholic. And did you know this? He actually suffered with A stutter. As a young child, it's hard for me to imagine him having a stutter because to me, Samuel L. Jackson is all about that commanding voice. I don't know if I would call it like a dad voice or what, but I feel like if he said something to me, I think I would do it. He just has that presence about him that makes you feel like he means what he says. Now, next up on the list of recovery attributes that Samuel L. Jackson really demonstrates is humility. Again, if you watch any interview with him, you are going to see this humility. Now, to me, humility is twofold of an issue. It means that you think you are neither above or below anyone else. But even while owning his successes, he has such a funny way of self deprecation. In fact, he talks about all kinds of challenges he's had, including the challenges with drugs and alcohol. In one of the interviews I was listening to recently, he referred to himself as a functioning crack addict right before he got clean and sober. And I gotta tell you, that might be the first time I've ever heard of a functioning crack addict. Which brings me to the third factor that you will always see in any kind of interview with Samuel L. Jackson, and that is his humor. To me, it's just mind blowing to see this really unusual combination of characteristics that he has. He has the ability to seem serious, powerful and strong, while at the same time seeming very laid back, funny and humble. You just don't often see this combination of characteristics in someone. Now, my guess is he had a lot of these characteristics before he found himself in recovery. And my sneaky suspicion comes from the fact that he went to treatment once and has been sober every since. And for me, you've got to have some humility to make that happen. But I'm sure that his recovery process has really strengthened and deepened these characteristics that we really love in him as a person and as an actor. When you think of Samuel L. Jackson, what is that first movie that comes in your head? What's your favorite Samuel L. Jackson movie? Mine is definitely A Time to Kill. That's the first one that pops in my brain when I think about him. And then immediately it goes crazy with tons and tons and tons of other movies. Now, I think the best way for you to see these three characteristics, gratitude, humility and humor, is to listen to the words of Mr. Jackson himself. Here's a quote I recently came across, and I think you're gonna see all three of these things in just this one little snippet. I had a very good theater reputation. Granted, I was a fucking drug addict, and I was out of my mind for a lot of the time, but I had a good reputation. I showed up on time, I knew my lines, and I hit my marks. I just wasn't making a lot of money, but I was very satisfied artistically. I was doing Pulitzer Prize winning plays. I was working with people who made me better, who challenged me. So I was doing things the right way. It was just one thing that was in my way, my addiction. And once that was out of the way, it was boom, the doors blew wide open. Mr. Jackson, you are a great representation of how finding recovery will help you live your best life. And I personally want to say thank you for making recovery and sobriety look cool. You're an inspiration to us all.