American Pie star Jason Biggs opens up about heartbreaking details of secret drug and alcohol addiction
Warning: This article contains discussion of addiction which some readers may find distressing.
Jason Biggs has candidly opened up about his past struggles with addiction.
You probably recognise Biggs from his role as Jim Levenstein in the American Pie franchise in the late 90s and early 00s.
The American actor may have struggled to reach the heights of popularity or success that he did with his breakthrough role, but with big pay cheques as a young star in Hollywood, he faced a number of challenges.
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Biggs was just 21 when the first film from the franchise hit theatres, as he starred alongside the likes of Seann William Scott, Tara Reid, Alyson Hannigan, Natasha Lyonne and many more in a stacked ensemble cast.
The flick was a hit among young adult audiences, setting a precedent and making teen sex comedies the genre of the early 2000s.
But Biggs grappled with his newfound fame, turning to vices such as drugs and alcohol, and revealing that having all that money at such a young age was dangerous.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Well with Arielle Lorre podcast, he admitted that people rarely said 'no' to him as a famous actor.
This inadvertently led Biggs down a dark path, as he spoke about the harrowing details of his addictions to drinking and using substances.
"I knew where to hide, how to hide, I knew when I would need to call the coke dealer because I was going to drink too much," he recalled to Lorre.
Biggs added that he 'knew how much Ambien (sleeping pills) or Benzo (benzodiazepines) to take' based on the amount of cocaine he had so he would come down from the high, but not die.
The 47-year-old also spoke about one of the 'craziest' things he did in order to satisfy his drug habit, which happened in his 20s.
He remembered in his house around 4am while his wife was asleep upstairs, and he was doing lines of cocaine.
“I was doing cocaine by myself in my house, and I did what I said was the last line,” Biggs said, as he went on to throw the remaining coke in the bin.
While it was a good gesture, it didn't take long for him to backtrack on the decision.
“Within 15 minutes, as soon as my last bump is wearing off, I’m like, ‘What am I doing?’ I go into my trash and I take it out and I do a line,” the actor admitted.
Biggs relocated from Los Angeles to New York - somewhere he saw as a 'healthier place' - to help get his life back in order.
“There’s something about the energy of New York that gives me something, that fills me in a way that Los Angeles couldn’t. But I do believe coming to New York helped me. So, I did fall off the wagon here, but that was seven and a half years ago and it’s been going well,” he said.
The star has now been sober since 2017.
Biggs is currently working on Getaway, an action comedy film that he is directing and acting in, set for release this year.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week
Joshua Nair