Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs opens up about going sober as he celebrates milestone

Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs has reflected on the time he ‘thought he was going to die’ as he celebrates 28 years of sobriety.

Isaacs, who played the villainous Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies, shared a candid clip on his Instagram page on Tuesday (6 October) in which he spoke about his battle with drugs and alcohol.

In the clip, which he shared to mark his ‘sober birthday’, Isaacs said: "Twenty-eight-years ago today, I woke up having spent the night without drugs. That was the first time that had happened in decades, drugs or drink, and I’ve lived a life that is drugs and drink free since.”

He went on to say that he hadn’t made the post to ‘celebrate’ himself, but in the hopes of it reaching ‘anybody who thinks they’re trapped’ or ‘who thinks there is no way to change their life’.

The British star then shared his own experiences, admitting that there was a time when he was sure he would die.

“Just my own personal story, I was without any hope,” he continued.

“No question I was going to die of, and with, drugs on me and in me. I just wanted it to hurry up and happen.

“[I] couldn't quite make it happen myself fast enough, and I was living a life without hope, and now I have a life with hope.

“I’m not saying it’s all blissful and dancing, singing and smiling, but it’s life and I’m in it and I'm so grateful.

“I’m grateful not that I found something but that I gave up. I gave up trying to control anything. I had to surrender and ask for help. So if you're in a dire situation, if you think that there's no escape, I'm here to tell you that there is.”

He went on to say that there were several ways to get help, including the ‘12-step groups’, which he said worked for him.

“There's many ways to do it, but you can change your life,” he said.

“You can live a life without drugs and drink and engage with life on life's terms, which can be magnificent.

“So good luck, and I give you all my love.”

This isn’t the first time Isaacs has bravely spoken out about his past struggles.

Last year, the 63-year-old star recalled the first time he was sober for an entire day in 1998 by spending the ‘entire night naked in a high street sauna’.

“I had no idea how long it would last but that morning, as I emerged blinking, pink and massively over-cooked, I felt something I hadn't felt for decades. Hope.

“I'd got through one night. Who knew what was possible? One step at a time, one day at a time, sometimes one hour, one deep breath, or even one inhumanly large bar of chocolate at a time.”

Isaacs, who is married to Emma Hewitt and has two children, went on to urge those who needed help to just take the ‘first baby step and surrender’.

He also expressed his gratitude to his family, friends and fans for their support.

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