West Wing Creator Aaron Sorkin Says He Struggles Everyday to Stay Sober

The writer and creator of the West Wing and other successful Hollywood projects opened up to W magazine about his past addiction to cocaine and the struggle he faces every day to stay clean.

Talking about his recovery, Sorkin explained, “I had what they call a 'high bottom. 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."

Sorkin says that he never expected 28 days at rehab at Hazelden to work, expecting only a 28 day break from drug use, but said “I've never seen anything work as well."

Although rehab did lead to sobriety, Sorkin still suffered occasional relapses, like the one in 2001 that led to his arrest in a Burbank airport on drug possession charges. He says that his arrest was the ultimate wake-up call and that he knows a lot of people are in prison for less than what he had on him.

After his arrest and charges, Sorkin says he decided to change his ways for the sake of his then baby daughter, Roxy.  Today, almost a decade sober, he says he still struggles to avoid temptation and worries about how his daughter will react to his troubled history, saying, "She's now nine. I'm dreading the moment she goes online and reads about my arrest. But at least I'll have credibility with her when it comes to drugs. I won't be some old guy who doesn't know how to have fun. Now my firewall is Roxy. I'd let her down if I relapsed."