Aaron Sorkin: The Hardest Thing I Do Every Day Is Not Take Cocaine

Lindsay Lohan says her drug addiction is a disease, and Aaron Sorkin talks about his similar experience with cocaine in a new interview in W. Sorkin also tells the magazine about writing 'The Social Network,' his relationship with Maureen Dowd and learning to write without cocaine.

Here are a few excerpts from the interview, read the whole thing here.

On his crack addiction in the mid-90s:

"I had what they call a 'high bottom,'" he explained. "My life didn't fall apart before I got into rehab. I didn't lose my job or run over a kid or injure anyone when I was high. But the hardest thing I do every day is not take cocaine. You don't get cured of addiction--you're just in remission."

On rehab:

"I had no intention of rehab working," Sorkin recalled. "I just thought it would be good to put 28 days between me and drugs. There were fortune cookie sayings on the walls at Hazelden, and I'm not susceptible to those things. But I've never seen anything work as well."

On his 2001 relapse:

"Again, it was a matter of opportunity: Julia [by that time his wife] was away, and I had a window where I could fly to Vegas on a Friday, get high all night, and then return to L.A. the next day. I'd do this three times a year, and it was amazing I never got caught. I was the worst criminal. I had a four-dollar pipe, and the bowl was made of metal. It showed up on the monitor at Burbank airport and they asked to search my bag." The authorities found a carefully packed bundle of hallucinogenic mushrooms and rock cocaine. "I fainted," Sorkin said. "When I came to, I was in handcuffs. I was lucky--there are guys serving time in prison for doing less than I did."

Comments

[Jill Demby Guest]

08:32 PM on 10/25/2010

It takes courage to go into rehab and thankfully for us, we still have Aaron Sorkin's talent alive and thriving. Whatever struggles he has, any addiction is highly personal with no easy out. He's living proof and a model for other writers that you don't have to be high to write superlative material.

[Lucas Catton]

05:50 PM on 10/05/2010

There are people who consider themselves "recovered" instead of "recovering" and never relapse. Ask them if they're cured - most will say yes, if they're not fans of the 12 step/ disease models. There has never been a single test to conclusively prove addiction is a brain disease. there are too many social factors involved and it is totally reversable without physical detection. I offered a reward to any scientist or doctor to prove that I still had a disease. Not surprisingly, nobody tried to claim the cash. Congratulations to Aaron on his clean time and willingness to talk about it. I applaud his efforts, but if you dig deep enough you'll see that the traditional treatment system is set up for failure by pushing drugs on people, telling them they'll always be addicts and that their disease is incurable. How confident would you feel if you believed that was the way to getting clean?

[akw]

07:59 PM on 10/05/2010

So, you're still peddling Scientology as a "cure" for addiction, eh?

http://www.xenu-directory.net/documents/corporate/person.php?person_id=647

[Lucas Catton]

01:26 AM on 10/06/2010

Nice one! You clearly have no idea about how many programs out there have the same opinion. St. Jude, St. Gregory, Narconon, G&G Holistic, Passages, Rational Recovery, Practical Recovery, SMART Recovery, countless faith-based programs, leaders such as Dr. Jeffry Schaler or Dr. Stanton Peele, and many others! My goal is to simply help people permanently recover and not get stuck in the problem of being an addict forever. If you want to try and attack me for doing that, then thanks for showing readers who you really are! Try Googling "addiction is not a disease" or "non 12 step" and see what you get.

[Megajim]

03:39 AM on 09/26/2010

Oh that's easy for me!

[Leper]

12:45 AM on 09/26/2010

So you 'moderated' me over a Wang Chung joke? How mature of you.

[jalowe1957]

11:14 PM on 09/25/2010

The hardest thing every recovering addict does every day is not relapsing.

Stay clean, Aaron.

[popart]

07:11 PM on 09/25/2010

excuse me but i just can not understand the attraction of popular drugs....my brain is not wired like that....am i the only person in the world that feels this way...

[Lauren Kottwitz]

05:22 PM on 10/01/2010

Lots of people aren't wired like that.

Lots of people are, and are wired for addiction.

And also, lots of people are, and can manage their habits.

[Dinkus850]

06:54 PM on 09/25/2010

I find all of this incredibly hard to believe. According to Lady Gaga, my personal hero, Cocaine is not addictive and it leads to better material. Would she lie just for attention? I think not! GET WITH IT SORKIN!

[Samantha Monteleone]

01:20 AM on 09/26/2010

Um. Wow.

Just... wow.

[lizr]

09:37 PM on 10/07/2010

LOL

[trebledamages]

12:48 PM on 09/25/2010

At least he's not complacent about his recovery and has remained clean. I also appreciate his honesty.

[Sundance]

10:04 PM on 09/24/2010

PLEASE delete this story!

[peacekitten]

11:56 PM on 09/24/2010

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ckfan]

09:02 PM on 09/24/2010

Sorkin: The authorities found a carefully packed bundle of hallucinogenic mushrooms and rock cocaine. "I fainted," Sorkin said. "When I came to, I was in handcuffs. I was lucky--there are guys serving time in prison for doing less than I did."

You're lucky you're white.

[BearishNews]

06:50 PM on 09/26/2010

ckfan: "You're lucky you're white."

I suspect Mr. Sorkin's access to top lawyers was more of a factor than his race, but could be wrong.

[lizr]

09:38 PM on 10/07/2010

wealth doesnt hurt!

[SarahFiggTock]

08:58 PM on 09/24/2010

It is nice to see someone use proper terms to discuss the disease of addiction, such as "addiction remission" instead of using terms that further stigmatize it. When people see and treat addiction as a brain disease, which it is (go on NIDA and read Dr. Nora Volkov's articles or watch her videos) the more the people who suffer from it will get the help they need.

[Craig Lane]

06:55 PM on 09/24/2010

People can become mentally addicted to anything. You can even become addicted to being responsible for yourself. It's a long scary road. Good luck to everyone out there trying to get it together. If I can do it. Anyone can.

[guilatty]

04:47 PM on 09/24/2010

It will be better when we learn of a man who never took drugs and find him interesting.

[ckfan]

09:02 PM on 09/24/2010

great post!

[SarahFiggTock]

09:14 PM on 09/24/2010

Did you never take drugs? Are you interesting? Do tell.

[patman77]

02:43 PM on 09/24/2010

the real deal about addiction is that we only hear of the ones who struggle and get caught,die or publicly find JC and relapse soon after. you don't hear of the millions of us clean and sober because of the spiritual concept of anonymity. we are anonymous thus allowinh gus to not keep our ego out there to set us up.

[ACLU Card Carrier]

11:51 AM on 09/24/2010

Sorkin is a brilliant man who made some terrible personal choices.

"CHOICES" being the operative word.

Sorry, even as I agree with his politics, he got a free ride because of his money and influence that, if he were a black, inner city youth, he NEVER would have had.  Unequal "justice" is WRONG.. even if one is a "liberal".

He betrayed those who loved him, and all he is doing now is playing the 'victim'.

Sorry.... but it just doesn't wash.

[KevinCasey filmcritic]

05:48 PM on 09/24/2010

Victim? Did you actually read the linked article? He frames every detail of his addiction within the context of his own actions. Playing the 'victim' are those who prevaricate about the disproportionate sentencing of blacks when prompted by questions of personal responsibility.