Shaun Weiss has marked seven years of sobriety while reflecting on the difficult path that led him to recovery.
In an interview with E! News, the Mighty Ducks actor said he spent three years in sober living and completed a year of inpatient treatment. Weiss said his experiences have inspired him to work on charities in Los Angeles and Atlanta that would provide people dealing with addiction and homelessness a safe environment in which to seek treatment.
Weiss said access to high-level treatment was essential to his own recovery. After seeing many people struggle with addiction, he said he has learned what approaches can help and which ones do not. Supporting others through similar challenges has become a source of purpose for him.
The actor also connected his addiction struggles to long-standing unhappiness and depression. He said yoga and related practices helped him become more self-contained and take greater control of his own happiness.
Weiss acknowledged that growing up as a child actor created additional complications. He recalled that his financial success made it difficult for his parents to discipline him as they had before, contributing to circumstances that later became difficult to manage.
Despite those struggles, Weiss said he has no regrets about his past. He believes the experiences he endured helped shape the person he is today. He has also returned to acting, appearing as Freddy in Deformelody: An American Nightmare last year.
Asked what he would tell his younger self, Weiss offered a simple message: hang in there, because everything will be all right.
Sources: E! News.