Todd Bridges is proud of the work he’s put in to reach three decades of sobriety.
The Diff’rent Strokes alum, 59, appeared on the latest episode of the Allison Interviews podcast and opened up about what finally clicked and allowed him to reach 32 years sober.
“I couldn’t be the same guy anymore,” he explained to host Allison Kugel. “I got tired of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, and getting the same results.”
“I remember when I was in the rehab program, and this light came over me and God said, ‘I’m going to put people in your path and you just listen to what they tell you, do what they tell you to do and don’t question it, and you will be sober for a long time.’ That’s exactly what happened and I finally got it.”
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Bridges explained that when you’ve been sober for as long as he has, it’s no longer a daily struggle. It’s a struggle “staying in touch with your feelings and emotions because the drug is just a symptom.”
The actor recalled the trauma in his life that ultimately led to his substance abuse.
“I saw the light,” he said. “God healed my heart. He healed a lot of pain that I was going through, from being molested as a child and from having an alcoholic father, and from years of getting pulled over by the police every day when I was just going to work.”
“Going through all of that, I developed a chip on my shoulder and I became angry with everything around me,” he added.
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Bridges admitted that he often feels frustrated that his accomplishment with his sobriety is “not talked about enough” in the media, and often overshadowed by his past mistakes.
“It’s making people feel like I’m just out there running amuck and I’m not,” he said on the show. “I’ve been sober for 32 years. The mistake I don’t make is relapsing. I won’t make that mistake again.”
“Black actors and white actors are treated in two different ways,” he continued. “Charlie Sheen, he’s back on some TV show. And I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy.’ I’m back on a show too (Comedy Central’s Everybody Still Hates Chris), but when they talk about Charlie Sheen, they don’t bring up his troubles when they’re interviewing him. They first talk about what he’s accomplished. With me, they start off with the troubles before they bring up my accomplishments.”
In addition to his work on the Everybody Hates Chris animated spinoff, Bridges also recently launched a podcast, Dang!, alongside his wife Bettijo. In Septemeber 2024, he told PEOPLE that he’s glad to be focused on the positive in his life.
“I just think that God has me right where he wants me, and I’m okay right here,” he said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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