Al Pacino Opens Up About Journey to Sobriety After Experiencing ‘Blackouts’ at a Young Age

Al Pacino’s been on quite the journey of personal growth throughout his decades of Hollywood stardom. The Godfather actor opened up about his decision to get sober after finding fame.

“I started to forget things at a very young age — they called them blackouts, so I got nervous,” he told People while promoting his new memoir, Sonny Boy, out October 15, of his past alcohol consumption and drug use.

“I went to AA for a while. It’s a great place, but it was not for me,” he said. The New York native has been sober since 1977.

Al, 84, revealed that his friend Charlie Laughton acted as a sponsor for him and was a huge support system. “That helped me,” the Academy Award winner revealed.

During a past interview with Larry King, Al opened up about overcoming his alcohol addiction.

“As they used to say to Laurence Olivier, Sir Laurence Olivier, what’s your, what’s your favorite part of acting? He’d say, ‘The drink after the show.’ That’s his favorite part,” he said. “So it was part of a world and then, when it started to replace. When the cart was in front of the horse and it, sort of, replaced the work and all other parts.”

“I was, I was, you know, reluctant to stop, but my great friend Charlie Laughton, we’ve talked about so many times … He was a real influence over me because he was my mentor, my closest friend,” Al said. “Really, begged me to stop for a while. Just to take a look at it and ask me if I, cause he had stopped for about a year and I was continuing and he was quite worried about me.”

He also opened up in October 2014 about overcoming mental health issues.

”I may be depressed, but I don’t know about it,” he told Loaded magazine at the time. “People go into depression and it’s very, very sad and it can last and it’s terrifying. I know that I’ve had bouts with stuff that comes to close to that, but not that intensity. I feel spared, I feel lucky.”

These days, he’s continued to focus on acting and spending time with his children, Julie, Anton, Olivia and Roman. He welcomed Roman, 16 months, with Noor Alfallah in June 2023. Al confirmed to People that he is no longer dating Noor, 30. “I have friendship,” he told the outlet in an interview on October 3.

“Al and Noor are very good friends, have been for years, and are coparents to their son Roman,” a rep for the star told the outlet.

He has never been married, which he refers to in his book as “an entrance to the pain train.”

“Everything’s a ticket to the pain train. A ticket or nothing,” Al said. “Are you going to go or not? No, I’ll stay here. I’ll stay here at the station, I’m not getting on.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).