Samuel L. Jackson’s 46-Year Marriage Is the Real Secret to Overcoming His Drug Addiction

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In Hollywood, it’s commonplace to have celebrity couples look cute together, become an item, get married, only to get divorced years later.

So when we hear of a couple making it to 46 years, that’s something we have to talk about.

“The secret to our success? Well, I guess we still love each other,” the 77-year-old shared to Good Morning America.

And though four decades seem like eons for celebrity romances, the Oscar-nominated actor explained that relationships in Hollywood are little different from relationships elsewhere. “[Couples are] always breaking up in neighborhoods all over the world,” he said.

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“Our job is just a job, you go to work, we go to work,” Jackson added. “If I’m at home working, I love coming home and sleeping in my bed.

I was working a lot of other different places, but she comes to visit. You know, we both come from the theater.

We understand the bond we have, the commonality of experiences, the commonality of joy of the theater and of our lives and of our daughter’s life, so it’s easy for us to stay connected.”

How His Wife Saved His Life–Literally!

And Samuel will never forget it. In fact, he has his wife to thank for literally getting him where he is now.

The beloved actor paid tribute to his wife LaTanya, 76, and their 41-year-old daughter Zoe when he picked up the Lifetime Achievement Award at He praised his loved ones for urging him to go to rehab after finding him passed out one day.

He said: “The other two people that challenged me on a regular basis are my foundation and support, my daughter Zoe and my wife LaTanya.”

After What He Called a “Crack-Induced” Meltdown

Jackson’s then 8-year-old daughter and wife LaTanya, discovered Jackson on the kitchen floor surrounded by drugs and drug paraphernalia. After not too much convincing, Sam entered rehab soon after.

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“The two women that actually found me passed out on the floor after I left somebody’s bachelor party and put me in rehab the next day. And supported me and pushed me and give me a reason to get up and go and chase it day after day after day.”

“I was a f**king drug addict and I was out of my mind a lot of the time, but I had a good reputation,” Jackson told The Guardian in an interview in early 2016.

“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 that one thing that was in the way — my addiction,” he continued.

It was Richardson who convinced her husband that his personal health wouldn’t be the only benefit of getting clean.

She urged Jackson to consider how his acting might evolve without the influence of drugs and alcohol.

“I’ve always had my wife LaTanya, who’s my harshest critic,” he recalled. “She’d say: ‘You’re so intelligent that the first time you read something, you think you understand it intellectually and emotionally … But there’s no blood in it.”

Tips to Overcome Addiction & Cravings

If you want to quit your addiction but may not have a LaTanya in your life like Sam does, the most important thing is to realize that you don’t have to do it on your own. Support is available to help you from the moment you choose to get help, to the moment that you enter a drug rehab facility or seek another kind of care, and all the through aftercare, which can help you stay sober after you’ve completed treatment.  Effectively recovering from addiction usually involves a series of steps that may include:

• Admit to the fact that you have a problem. Recognition that you need help may go a long way toward actually seeking such help.
• Speak with a physician. Your physician can help assess the problem and assess any potential signs of withdrawal or withdrawal risks and advise you about the type of detox or treatment settings that may be best for your needs.
• Call an addiction treatment center (or a rehabilitation center). You can ask any questions or concerns you may have about treatment and discuss your situation to see what type of treatment setting (i.e., inpatient or outpatient) might be advisable. Once in a treatment program, you may learn coping mechanisms, attend therapy treatments, and get the help you need in a highly supervised environment.
• Speak with a therapist. A qualified therapist, preferably one who specializes in drug and alcohol addiction, can also assess your needs and provide advice about how to proceed with getting the help you need.
• Identify your triggers. Being aware of the specific issues, places, people, emotions, and other factors that cause you to want to use drugs or alcohol can help you make a plan to avoid these triggers so you’ll be less likely to use.
• Follow a continuing care plan. This is a plan put in place, usually by a treatment center, to help you achieve your sobriety goals.
• Tend to and get evaluated for any co-occurring disorders. People who struggle with addiction and mental health disorders need to address both issues in order to increase the chances of success.
• Attend a peer-support group. This can include 12-step groups like Narcotics Anonymous or non-12-step groups like SMART Recovery. They’re designed to help you stay sober through the mutual support provided by others who are also in recovery and who know what it’s like to be in your shoes.

What Really Happened After Sam Got Clean?

And the greatest roles of Jackson’s career wouldn’t emerge until he got clean, an experience he describes as a door blowing wide open.

“It wasn’t until I got sober that I knew fully what she meant,” said Jackson. “Before, I used to do stuff on stage and kinda look for the reaction from the audience — ‘Aha! I got ‘em good that time!’

And once I was able to ignore that, and focus on the relationships with the people I was onstage with, I was finally able to blossom into whatever I might think I am now.”

Here’s to wishing them another 46+ years together!