John Goodman is all too familiar with vicious cycles.
Goodman, 74, opened up about his complicated relationship with food, telling The New Yorker in an interview published Oct. 18 that he was "eating alcoholically" after he quit drinking at age 55.
"I’d lose 60 pounds in a summer, gain it all back. Seventy pounds, 80 pounds. And that got tiring," Goodman said. "I took steps so I wouldn’t have to do that anymore. I was almost 400 pounds."
Goodman revealed that he had an operation on his stomach to help get a handle on things, and that he "turned anemic" as a result of the rapid and excessive weight loss.
Drinking had other effects besides weight gain, such as "delaying my maturation," the "Roseanne" alum said. "... I had a lot of catching up to do,
just realizing how selfish it made me."
Goodman was aware that his "big kid" persona could be lost as he navigated sobriety, but at that point he said he was too concerned with saving his own life to give it much thought.
"The thing about instant gratification is you don’t really care what’s going to happen right after it – which always led to bigger hangovers or me getting the shakes, and having to drink to get rid of the shakes, and that vicious cycle," Goodman explained, adding that he was in a position where he would have been hospitalized one way or another.
"I just was tired of it, and I wanted to stop. I was overlooking real life. And it was great to see there was a life where I didn’t have to use anything to enjoy it," Goodman continued.
John Goodman is 'happy now'
It may have taken John Goodman some time to find some well-earned peace and quiet, but now that he has, he's doing much better.
"There’s been a lot of therapy," Goodman said. "I’m happy now. I just wish I was better spoken and I could relax more. The best stuff happens when I’m relaxed."
Goodman is now focused on rebuilding his strength after suffering an on-set injury in London that put him out of commission for a month or so. Since then, he's been "building up the core, balance (and) strength training" so he doesn't "fall down" again.
"I was walking on set in my stocking feet, which was very stupid, and I was moving around Tom (Cruise) and my feet slid on the floor. I came down parallel to the ground, on my hip, and fractured it," he told the The New Yorker.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Goodman reveals what led to him once weighing nearly 400 pounds
