Relapse. It’s not rare. It isn’t unusual. And it’s most certainly not something anyone should be ashamed of. So nobody should be flipping out about Dax Shepard’s relapse.
Really.
Sure relapses can be scary. Sometimes even dangerous. And we feel for the man. Wholeheartedly. But we’re not holding it against him. Neither should anyone else. Relapse isn’t a reflection of a person’s character. In fact, it afflicts nearly everyone in recovery. It can happen to a person who’s been sober for a week. It can also happen to the person who hasn’t taken a nip or a hit in a decade. And for those few who somehow sidestep the scourge, well, they’re a lucky few indeed. And way too few and far between.
Dax Shepard may be acclaimed (and rightfully so). But he faces the same demons as everybody else. The actor had been sober for 16 years. 16 years. That’s quite an admirable stint. But it also goes to show just how precarious sobriety can be. In other words, Dax Shepard’s relapse should be given all due and deserved consideration. So should Dax Shepard.
Dax Shepard’s Relapse
This is “an episode I hoped I’d never have to record,” Shepard told his 3.3 million Instagram Followers. “But [it’s] one I felt I owed to all the beautiful Armcheries who have been on this ride with me for the last couple years.”
Shepard was referring to the “Day 7” episode of his (and Monica Padman’s) highly-popular Armchair Expert podcast. “Day 7” wasn’t just the title of last Friday’s episode though. It also happened to be the amount of time Shepard had been sober since his relapse.
Breaking from the podcast’s usual Monday / Thursday scheduling of new episodes, “Day 7” contained all the vulnerability and honesty that Shepard finds “incredibly sexy.” Only this time, the “struggles and shortcomings” on display were his and his alone. Then again, why shouldn’t it be that way? When you’ve advocated a life lived with utter candor, it only stands to reason you’d want to be completely candid about your life. Especially when it slips you a curve ball.
Actually, relapse is more akin to being thrown a wild pitch. But Shepard didn’t flinch. He stayed right there in the batter’s box. And when that wild pitch came his way, he swung right back at it. And — crack! — he hit the ball right out of the park.
That is to say, “Day 7” was filled with the kind of unflinching honesty that’s enabled Dax Shepard to connect to an increasingly wide swath of the world. In fact, Armchair Expert is currently Chartable’s #3 in all the lands. Why’s it so winning? Shepard’s charm has a lot to do with it of course. More though, it’s the actor’s willingness to reveal the kind of intimate details most folks would be reluctant to share with anyone, let alone the whole wild world. That said details are shared by someone with such a high public profile only makes it all the more so. Nevertheless, Shepard summoned the courage to come clean.
We’ll let you listen in below for the whole story. But briefly, Shepard ran afoul of painkillers. Namely Vicodin. He also ran headfirst into the lies and the deceptions that inevitably occur when such things begin to consume a person’s life.
Great Gratitude
Grateful. That’s the most apropos word to define the after of Dax Shepard’s relapse. Really, really grateful. The actor even took to his Armchair Expert to say so.
“I want to say thanks to all the people that have been so unbelievably lovely to us in response to ‘Day 7,'” Shepard said. “I am really, really grateful.”
The gratitude blast came on the Monday following Friday’s relapse podcast. And the actor and father of two was positively effulgent with Thanks! He also seemed a little surprised by people’s response.
“My fears were the opposite of what the result was, yeah,” he said. “But yeah, struggling with some fraudulent feelings of receiving love based on a f**kup. But, at any rate, I am really, really grateful.. there’s so many beautiful, nice people.”
To say Shepard deserved the overwhelming support he received following the candid and emotional “Day 7” episode of Armchair Expert would be an understatement. What was a little odd was the fact that the fan reaction had him seemingly stumbling over his own words. Then again, the actor had just been through the ringer; then copped to the transgression. And the whole wild world was watching the whole way.
By the end of the episode though, Shepard seemed to be completely at ease, as well as relieved. And he most assuredly deserved both.
Dax Shepard’s Last Relapse?
Will this be Dax Shepard’s last relapse? Impossible to tell. In fact, the gods themselves would have trouble answering that question. Shepard does have a reputation for sticking to his proverbial guns. He spent five years in acting classes before finally getting the green light from the acclaimed Groundlings troupe (in a group that included Melissa McCarthy, Fortune Feimster, Tate Taylor and Nat Faxon). And he endured 10 years of auditioning before finally landing the role in MTV’s notorious Punk’d (alongside Ashton Kutcher).
Furthermore, Shepard wrote, produced, co-directed, and starred in the 2012 low-budget film Hit and Run alongside wife Kristen Bell and his close friend Bradley Cooper. Which may have been doomed to be a footnote but for two very salient facts:
Shepard said the movie, which includes numerous car chases and fast driving scenes, allowed him to live out his Smokey and the Bandit fantasy. Plus the flick seemed to foretell Shepard’s co-starring in Top Gear America, alongside Rob Corddry and Jethro Bovingdon, and, of course, The Stig.
It’s just this type of diligence that kept Shepard sober for 16 years. So it’s a cinch he’ll call on the same inner diligence after the relapse. We at Healing Properties sure hope so. And we wish the man all the very best!
Armchair Expert “Day 7”
You can hear all about Dax Shepard’s relapse on the “Day 7” episode of his Armchair Expert podcast:
Healing Properties provides top notch sober living for men who are battling alcoholism and addiction. In fact, we’ve been providing just that since 2002. That means we’ve helped thousands upon thousands of men succeed in sobriety. And we’ll continue helping men so long as there’s a need. Check us out on Facebook. And if you or someone you know and love is having difficulties with any kind of substance abuse, please give us a ring at 561-563-8882 We’re here for you.
(Above photo taken from Armchair Expert “Day 7.”)