Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs, 63, was sure he would 'die of and with drugs' as he marks 28 years sober

Published 6 October 2026, 17:57

• In footage posted on Instagram, Isaacs admits he 'just wanted it to hurry up and happen' at rock bottom
• Actor says he hadn't gone a single night without drugs or drink 'for decades' before getting clean
• 'Just ask. Just ask somewhere,' he urges anyone feeling trapped, crediting surrender and 12-step groups

Harry Potter actor Jason Isaacs, 63, said there was once "no question" he would "die of and with drugs on me and in me," as he marked 28 years of sobriety.

In footage posted on Instagram, the actor described how little he expected to survive his addiction.

"I just wanted it to hurry up and happen. I couldn't quite make it happen myself fast enough, and I was living a life without hope," Isaacs said.

"I was without any hope," he added.

Isaacs said the turning point came 28 years ago, when he woke up after a night without drugs.

"That was the first time it happened to me for decades, drugs or drink," he said in the Instagram video.

He has not used drugs or alcohol since that morning, he said.

Isaacs said he shared the milestone for others, not for himself.

"I'm not saying that to celebrate myself at all," he said. "I'm saying it in case this ever reaches anybody who thinks they're trapped, who thinks there is no way to change their life."

He said he has "seen remarkable and extraordinary things" in recovery.

Isaacs set his past against his present. "And now I have a life with hope," he said.

He did not paint sober life as perfect.

"I'm not saying it's all blissful and dancing, singing and smiling. But it's life, and I'm in it, and I'm so grateful," Isaacs said.

He credited his recovery to giving up control, not to finding an answer.

He said he was "grateful not that I found something, but that I gave up."

"I gave up trying to control anything. I had to surrender and ask for help," he said.

Isaacs made a direct appeal to people caught in addiction.

"So if you're in a dire situation, if you think that there's no escape, I'm here to tell you that there is. Just ask. Just ask somewhere," he said in the Instagram post.

The actor said he attended 12-step groups, which are peer-support recovery programs built around a series of steps.

"They've worked for me so far," Isaacs said.

He made clear he was not promoting them. "I'm not a poster boy for them, or, uh, you know, a living advertisement how they work," he said.

Isaacs said people can take more than one path to getting clean.

"There's many ways to do it, but you can change your life," he said.

He described what a sober life can offer.

"You can live a life without drugs and drink and engage with life on life's terms, which can be magnificent," Isaacs said.

He closed with a message to viewers: "So good luck, and I give you all my love."