Colton Haynes Opens Up About His Struggle With Drugs and Alcohol

Out gay actor Colton Haynes has opened up about his addiction to drugs and alcohol.

The Arrow star, who is sober following treatment, revealed for the first time in an interview for Attitude's 25th anniversary issue that the death of his mother and split from his husband of six months led him to increase his alcohol intake.

"In 10 years, there were maybe 25 days I didn't drink," Haynes said. "I remember when I started, it was a couple glasses of wine, and it regressed into really dark times."

He added, "I used to blame it on my anxiety or depression issues, but really the root of all my problems was the alcohol and drugs."

Haynes added that he began to use alcohol and drugs more heavily after coming out in 2016 and then again 2018, when he split with his husband Jeff Leatham.

"I came out and, in a way, my downward spiral started," he said. "I felt extremely free but at the same time the amount of attention I was getting was making me spin out of control."

He added, "I got married and that didn't work out. That was extremely public and heart-breaking, and right when that was going on, my mom died. At that point I fell apart. My brain broke."

Haynes was hired to be a part of a "massive" comedy for a studio, but was fired on the first day after showing up looking "dead in my eyes," Haynes said. "I couldn't even make some decisions for myself. I was drowning in my own shit."

Haynes entered a four month treatment facility and has been sober for six months. Haynes said that he entered a treatment facility after he was found in a Los Angeles hotel room after seven days of using drugs and alcohol, which left him with bruises all over his body and a nearly ruptured kidney. He was then committed to a three-day, involuntary psychiatric hold.

"I lost partial sight in my left eye for a while," he said. "I ended up having two seizures. I didn't know any of this was happening until I was sober enough to remember it."

Colton says that his new, sober life is the "best gift I've ever been given."

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