David Morrissey, the 61-year-old actor known for roles in The Walking Dead and Sherwood, has revealed that social anxiety contributed to his alcoholism. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, he said: 'I am a recovering alcoholic. Drinking first was about anxiety. I've had this terrible social anxiety and that helped me get through it.'
Morrissey, who has been sober for 21 years, explained that his drinking began in his teenage years after the death of his father, Joe Morrissey, when he was 15. He said: 'In my adult life, I couldn't stop. I wasn't drinking to be convivial. I was on my own in the pub. That was really hard and very hard for my ex-wife and people around me.'
The Liverpool-born actor described being in a 'terrible state' after his father's death and reflected on the 'trauma responses' of depression and anxiety that followed. He left school at 16 and travelled with a theatre company, saying: 'I knew that, academically, I was never going to be able to go to university... so, I had to make it happen somewhere else.'
Morrissey got sober after calling a former colleague in Alcoholics Anonymous. He said: 'I was in a terrible, terrible state, and I phoned him quite late... He came round my house and just sat with me. And I've not drank since that day.' However, he added: 'When I stopped drinking, I didn't stop being an alcoholic. My behaviour was still very self-destructive for many years.'
The actor credited his career with rescuing him, saying: 'When I'm in work, I feel safe... In my life, I'm less confident. I'm always looking for an exit strategy.' He also revealed that he was drawn to acting after watching the 1970s TV drama Colditz, which 'troubled' him and made him want to understand the emotions it stirred.
