Why Bradley Cooper Feels "Very Lucky" Amid 19-Year Journey With Sobriety

Bradley Cooper is grateful for where he is today.

The Limitless star—who has previously opened up about overcoming his past struggles with drugs and alcohol—is reflecting on his nearly 20-year sobriety journey. As Cooper noted, he remains thankful that he didn't "get lost in fame."

"I was lucky," he said during a recent episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge. "I got sober at 29 years old, and I've been sober for 19 years. I've been very lucky."

The Academy Award nominee also reflected on how his own journey influenced his performance as a musician in the throes of addiction on his role in the 2018 film A Star Is Born, which he also directed.

"It made it easier to be able to really enter in there," Cooper explained. "And thank goodness I was at a place in my life where I was at ease with all of that, so I could really let myself go. "I've been very lucky with the roles I've had to play. It's been a real blessing. I hope I get to keep doing it."

Last year, the Silver Linings Playbook alum also detailed the start of his road to sobriety, of which he credits longtime pal Will Arnett with, noting that the Arrested Development star had "a hard conversation with me that put me on a path of deciding to change my life."

"I was addicted to cocaine," Cooper shared during his June 2022 appearance on the Smartless podcast, explaining that he had severed his Achilles tendon and "got fired-slash-quit" from Alias in the midst of his personal struggles. "I was totally depressed."

The 48-year-old recalled the turning point in his life coming in July 2004 after attending a party with Arnett. Cooper said he remembered thinking he was "so funny" to the other guests, only for the Blades of Glory star to tell him that he was a "real asshole" during the evening.

"That was the first time I ever realized I had a problem with drugs and alcohol⁠," he continued, noting that Arnett spoke to him about his actions. "I'll just never forget it. The guy that I think is doing 'mean humor' is telling me the truth about it."

Cooper—who shares daughter Lea, 6, with Irina Shayk—noted that his journey led him on a path of self-discovery and helped enrich his outlook on fatherhood.

"Every single thing is absolutely shaded or brought out in glorious colors by the fact that I get to be a father to a wonderful human being," he shared. "It's just the absolute greatest thing."