Christopher Lloyd is opening up about his long struggle with cocaine and alcohol in a new memoir, describing how experimentation in Los Angeles became an entrenched pattern followed by relapses and eventual sobriety. The “Back to the Future” star shares the painful history in “In My Own Time: A Memoir,” published Tuesday.
As Page Six reported [1], the 88-year-old actor recalls trying cocaine for the first time outside a Los Angeles comedy club during the ’70s. After meeting a woman at the club, Lloyd went to her car and did his first “snort,” followed by a couple of lines.
“That was all it took. I was hooked almost immediately. I loved it, and that was where my cocaine abuse began,” Lloyd writes. His account presents the moment as the beginning of years of substance abuse involving cocaine, alcohol, and pot.
The “Taxi” alum says his use of those substances quickly became “entrenched.” Despite the grip they had on his life, Lloyd writes that he never went on stage or appeared in front of a camera while under the influence.
“I wasn’t asking myself what it meant or what it was doing for me,” he adds. “I just knew I liked it, and before long it had a hold on me.”
One particularly devastating episode unfolded around the cancellation of “Taxi,” which ended after five seasons in 1983. Lloyd remembers being high and drunk while arguing with his girlfriend at the time.
After the dispute, Lloyd spent the night at his nephew’s home in Los Angeles. When he returned, he discovered that his partner had locked him out, and he responded by punching the windows.
“The next thing I remember, I was lying on the floor of my kitchen, bleeding out, and paramedics were attending to me,” he writes. “I later learned that I had lost so much blood that they had to give me plasma.”
Lloyd underwent surgery following the incident. He also needed physical therapy to make sure he would be able to spread his fingers correctly after the severe injury.
The episode coincided with another tragedy connected to “Taxi.” Lloyd’s costar Andy Kaufman had died the previous evening at the same hospital after losing his battle with cancer at age 35.
Lloyd continued struggling with drugs and alcohol for years after the bloody incident. In 1993, he entered rehab after working with a psychologist who helped him recognize the damage that substance abuse was causing in his life.
Rehab marked an important beginning, but Lloyd makes clear that his path toward sobriety did not proceed without setbacks. He says he relapsed multiple times after receiving treatment.
“That was the beginning, but not the end of it,” Lloyd confesses in his book. “I relapsed a few times after that. … Some years later on April 1, I got sober for what turned out to be the last time.”
The Emmy winner also looks back warmly on playing the eccentric Dr. Emmett Brown in the “Back to the Future” trilogy. Lloyd reveals that John Lithgow and Jeff Goldblum were also on the short list to portray the iconic character.
His memoir therefore covers both the celebrated screen work that made him famous and the personal struggles unfolding in his life. Along with “Back to the Future” and “Taxi,” Lloyd is also known for “The Addams Family.”
The memoir offers Lloyd’s own account of how quickly his cocaine abuse began, how drugs and alcohol gained a hold over him and how recovery included several relapses. His final attempt at sobriety began on April 1, though the source does not specify the year.
Anyone affected by the issues raised in Lloyd’s story can contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). The resource is included alongside the account of his addiction, treatment, relapses and lasting sobriety.