The Terminator of Addiction did not worry Nick Stahl as a young man. Indeed, the actor hit the jackpot by getting cast as John Connor in Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines. Starring opposite the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger and the super popular Claire Danes, the young man in his early twenties felt invincible.

Hence, what did it matter if he was always using drugs and hungover on set? If he could defeat the Terminator in the movie, then the Terminator of Addiction would not be so hard to overcome. As a hot young star in Hollywood, nothing could stop him. Years later, when Nick Stahl looks back and remembers the insanity, he shakes his head and feels grateful. In retrospect, his gratitude is a product of the realization that he is lucky today to be alive and well.

Nick Stahl’s Garbage Can and the Terminator of Addiction

In an engaging interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Nick Stahl describes himself as a garbage can of using drugs and alcohol. Hence, it did not matter the look or feel of the Terminator of Addiction. Indeed, he would take anything as long as it got him high and out of his head. As Stahl explains in the interview, “I was pretty much hung over for every single day of work that I ever did — as a kid, in my early 20s, through all the films, through In the Bedroom, through Terminator, through Carnivàle, through all of it… I didn’t really discriminate — I’d use anything to change the way I felt when I was sober.”

At Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC), such patients often require additional treatment and support. Since they are willing to use anything, they will relapse on anything. Thus, the TTC SUD (substance use disorder) Treatment Team focuses on uncovering underlying trauma and mental health issues behind the addiction. By identifying root causes, the pain behind the addiction becomes apparent. Once such awareness happens, patients become more willing to walk a path that leads to sustainable recovery. Therefore, such willingness leads to a desire to overcome the Terminator of Addiction by embracing a way of healing.

The Terminator of Addiction Threatens Everyone

Reflecting on his experience, Nick Stahl realizes you do not have to be a famous Hollywood actor to fall to the Terminator of Addiction. Indeed, the disease of substance use disorders threatens everyone. In the 21st century, the Terminator of Addiction is more powerful than ever. Thus, the stakes are higher than they have ever been before.

In the interview, Nick Stahl sheds light on this darkness, “People you see on park benches — that doesn’t happen overnight. They go through that one day at a time, so by the time you get there, that day looks a whole lot like the day before… It’s a horribly cliché child-actor story, but I had a very unusual relationship to drugs and alcohol. I never had a brake pedal with it… Very early on, it was not ‘I want this,’ but ‘I need this.’”

The Blessing of Finding a Path to Long-Term Recovery

With the Terminator of Addiction lurking in the shadows, nobody caught in the grip of the disease knows whether they will survive. Indeed, Nick Stahl knows how lucky he is to be still alive. He does not understand why he is not dead like many of his contemporaries, including Brad Renfro and Heath Ledger. Still, Nick Stahl knows a blessing when it drops in his lap.

As he describes in the HT interview, “If I hit bumps in the road, I always got up and tried again. Luckily, I was resilient. A lot of people don’t find sobriety. It’s kind of mysterious territory. One day, it just kind of stuck.” When it stuck, Nick Stahl learned how to embrace a path of sobriety one day at a time. Indeed, he believes if it can happen for him, it can happen for anyone.

Thus, if you or a loved one is struggling with the Terminator of Addiction, please do not roll the dice. Instead, access the professional help you need to survive. With over fifty years of experience helping people recover from substance use disorders, TTC can help. Please contact us today and then take the first step towards saving your life or the life of a loved one.