‘American Horror Story: Freak Show’ Star Wes Bentley Opens Up About Overcoming Drug Addiction

Wes Bentley wants his tale of beating drug addiction to serve as inspiration for those currently struggling with substance abuse.

The American Horror Story: Freak Show actor struggled to deal with life in the limelight after shooting to fame in Oscar-winning 1999 movie American Beauty, and he turned his back on Hollywood after becoming hooked on ecstasy, cocaine and heroin.

However, Bentley, 36, eventually got clean and started to rebuild his career, landing roles in films such as The Hunger Games and Interstellar, and starting a family with his wife Jacqui Swedberg.

The star now admits he hopes his story of triumph over adversity will inspire others to ditch drugs.

He tells Huffingtonpost.com, “There is a stigma that it’s (heroin addiction) the one you can’t beat, and it is an awful one. It is the devil. It’s a beast, and it creates a beast out of you. But that’s partly why I wanted to talk about it, because there’s people out there who are still addicted, and they might not think you can get past it either.

“But I want to show them that you can. I mean, I have to work on it every day still, as you know, but I just want people out there to know… that it is beatable and you can live an amazing, happy life.”

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