Dax Shepard Gets Candid About Recent Relapse

The 45-year-old actor has always been open about his sobriety.

Recently celebrating 16 years sober, Dax Shepard relapsed. Back in 2012, Dax was going back and forth visiting his father who was undergoing cancer treatment. Around the same time, he also got into a motorcycle accident and due to the pain, called his sponsor to see if he could take Vicodin while he was at work. His sponsor told him, “You can take a couple Vicodin to get through the day of work, but you have to go to the doctor, and you have to get a prescription, and then you have to have Kristen Bell dole out the prescription.”

After Shepard agreed, he flew back out to see his father and because his wife wasn’t going to be with him, he didn’t bring the pills with him. During his visit with his father, Dax Shepard took Percocet that he was giving to his father. He recalls being “stoned” with his father and felt so happy in that moment. His wife Kristen had surprised him, and it was then that Dax Shepard admitted to relapsing.

Dax Shepard’s Recovery

As time went on, Dax had undergone several surgeries and suffered a few more injuries and started using prescription pills again. Because he was high functioning, Dax assumed it was okay until a coworker had confronted him, and he started to lie. He finally admitted that he relapsed and started attending meetings. He was in a meeting where they were congratulating him on his 16-year sobriety milestone, but nobody knew that Dax Shepard was high off opiates. At a later meeting, he told everyone the truth. He says, “It’s the only experience I can remember having that was just grace, the definition of grace. And it was very emotional. It was a really, really surreal kind of experience.”

As of today, Dax Shepard is 11 days sober! We are so proud of him for getting opiate addiction treatment and being so open about his addiction to prescription pills. Dax Shepard’s relapse shows that even though you may get off track, you should never feel guilty or humiliated. He is taking the right steps in order to stay sober.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction, or has currently suffered from a relapse, there is a way out. Here at Banyan Treatment Centers Massachusetts, we offer addiction treatment programs including a stabilization program that provides programming for recovery after relapse.

Take the first step to get help and call today: 888-966-9413

Alyssa, Director of Digital Marketing

Alyssa is the National Director of Digital Marketing and is responsible for a multitude of integrated campaigns and events in the behavioral health and addictions field. All articles have been written by Alyssa and medically reviewed by our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Darrin Mangiacarne.