Tyler Christopher Detailed the Harrowing Reality of His Attempts to Get Sober After Years of Addiction

A year before Tyler Christopher’s sudden death at the age of 50, he offered fans a look at his attempt to get sober after years of battling addiction.

Speaking on the podcast of former costar and longtime friend Maurice Benard, State of mind, in March 2022, the actor detailed his journey to sobriety. During the hour-long conversation, Christopher revealed how his addiction has affected every aspect of his life since he took his first sip of alcohol in the third grade.

“You become an addict at the age of nine. Fast forward 40 years, at some point you can’t survive that,” he explained in the episode. “At some point it will kill you, and it did. I was equal three times, and no one knows that, I’m saying it right here for the first time.”

Tyler christopher’s daily family reacts to General Hospital The sudden death of a star at the age of 50: ‘This hits hard’

Tyler Christopher in January 2018.

Mediapunch/Shutterstock

For more than 20 years, Christopher starred in daytime soap operas General Hospital, where he said his diagnosis of bipolar disorder interfered with his daily life.

“Every time I finish a scene, I go downstairs and sit in my dressing room and tell myself how awful it was and I want to go up there and do it again,” he said.

After losing his role in the hit series, Christopher said he felt like he was losing his biggest lucky break.

“It was devastating for a myriad of reasons,” he explained. “First, the thing I loved the most was taken away from me. Second, I threw it away. No one took that away from me. I dropped it. And walking out that door under those circumstances was surreal.”

Three years later, in 2019, Christopher suffered a fall that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. He told Benardo that the fall was due to withdrawal from alcohol.

“I was going through delirium tremens all by myself, which is deadly,” he said. “I fell. I hit this part of my head on the edge of the tub and my skull exploded.”

General Hospital Actor Tyler Christopher died at the age of 50: ‘Sweet soul and wonderful friend’

After waking up from life-saving brain surgery after the fall – his family were told he would not survive – Christopher said he was determined to overcome the injury. Along with his bipolar illness, Days of our lives Starr said his doctor warned him about the risks of returning to alcohol after surgery.

“He said, ‘Consider the fact that you’re already an addict, if you decide to go back to that part of your life again, your brain won’t be able to handle it,'” Christopher explained.

At that point, Christopher was placed in the custody of his sister, with whom he lived in Ohio for two years. Noting that isolation was a “trigger” for his bipolar disorder, he said he boarded a train to Los Angeles to get his career back on track, but things didn’t go as planned.

“I showed up at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and called the gentleman I was staying with,” he recalled. “For whatever reason — to this day I still don’t know why — he said, ‘I’m sorry, but you can’t come here.’ So I’m standing in Union Station and I’m like, ‘Where do I go?’ A lot of friends left me after the injury — I had no one to call.”

Tyler Christopher in a scene from ‘General Hospital’ that aired in January 2010.

Rick Rowell/Disney General Entertainment via Getty

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After living on Skid Row for a few weeks and wandering LA without a place to stay, Christopher said a friend found him sleeping on a bench in Toluca Lake because of his call to God.

“What a burden it is to believe that we can do this alone,” he said. “That’s a burden I don’t want.”

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Opening the episode, Benard, who announced the late actor’s death on Instagram on Tuesday, praised his friend during the introduction, saying, “A lot of people love him. I swear to God every time I mention I’m playing Tyler State of mind, they’re like, ‘Can you tell him I love him?’ Finola Hughes, Laura Wright, Frank Valentini… Maura West. Now I’m going to get emotional.”

He continued, “You are a warrior, but you are also a survivor.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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Source: HIS Education