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Gary Oldman has claimed he would be "dead or institutionalised" if he hadn't got sober. The Oscar-winning actor discussed his battle with alcoholism in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, which was published on Monday. During the discussion, Oldman opened up about his decision to stop drinking 28 years ago. ”Going at the rate I was going, I wouldn't be sitting here with you by now," he explained. "I'd either be dead or institutionalised.” The 67-year-old actor also touched upon how his life has changed since he decided to give up alcohol. Oldman admitted that at his darkest moments, he thought about drinking constantly. ”I'm in a very good place at the moment, and a lot of that is to do with sobriety. It's been 28 years. There was a point when I didn't think I could've gone 28 seconds without a drink.” Oldman admitted that many of his acting heroes were "all sorts of drunks and drug addicts", and this played a part in his decision to begin drinking. Referring to rumours that late acting legend Richard Burton would consume a bottle of vodka before going on stage to perform Hamlet, the star has claimed addiction was often glamourised at the time. ”They were all tortured poets and artists," he explained. "You look up to them and you romanticise and want to emulate them.” However, Oldman eventually realised his life would be better if he were sober, and he decided to quit alcohol for good in 1997. He has no regrets about the decision and insists his life is better for it. ”My own life, my personal life, is immeasurably better from just not living in a fog. But I think the work is good, too," the Darkest Hour star added.
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