James McAvoy decided to stop drinking when alcohol became something he reached for alone at home during COVID-19 lockdowns.
“I would have a drink on my own.” — James McAvoy
Before the pandemic, he’d bought drinks for company or enjoyed them on nights out. Keeping alcohol at home for himself was a change he wanted to catch early.
Speaking on Chelsea Handler’s Dear Chelsea podcast, the X-Men actor recalled: “And it didn’t get like crazy, crazy bad, but I was like: ‘I need to nip this in the bud.’”
He said he quit “cold turkey” and that it “wasn’t a struggle.” Emotional stress could still leave him missing a drink, though. Describing those moments, he said: “Oh my God, I could do with a f****** three fingers of vodka.”
Sobriety also helped him notice how drinking had affected his enjoyment of quieter, everyday pleasures. He described chasing adrenaline through alcohol and finding it harder to connect with things that didn’t deliver that same excitement.
“I am finding the more and more I’m older, I’m not looking for an altered state, because I’m more and more comfortable in my state,” McAvoy said.
After quitting, he said, he could appreciate more of his life again. His hesitation about drinking now comes from wanting to protect that feeling: “I’m actually a bit scared of f****** with that.”