Dennis Quaid Breaks His Decades-Long Silence to Share About His Battle with Demons
October 24, 2024
Christian celebrity Dennis Quaid battled cocaine addiction along with plenty of other demons before finally getting clean and finding Jesus. After keeping quiet about the issue for decades, Dennis is now breaking his silence and sharing the inspiring story of how he broke free!
If you find yourself wondering how old is Dennis Quaid, he's been on this earth since April 9, 1954.
RELATED: Dennis Quaid Recalls Tragic Loss Of Liam Neeson’s Late Wife Natasha Richardson
Born in Houston, Texas to Juanita B. "Nita" Quaid and William Rudy Quaid, Dennis grew up in the Baptist church. He went to Sunday school every week. In fact, brother Randy and Dennis Quaid both got baptized on the same day when Dennis was 9 years old.
But Hollywood fame led Dennis Quaid away from his faith and left him battling an addiction that nearly ruined his life!
Dennis Quaid has enjoyed a long career as an actor and musician. He's starred in a long list of movies, with just a small sample listed below, and is even set to play Ronal Reagan in Reagan, an upcoming movie based upon the president's life.
Dennis Quaid Movies
- Breaking Away
- The Right Stuff
- Innerspace
- Great Balls Of Fire
- Wyatt Earp
- The Parent Trap
- Any Given Sunday
- The Day After Tomorrow
- Yours, Mine & Ours
- A Dog's Purpose
- I Can Only Imagine
Hitting it big in Hollywood also led Dennis to the discovery of cocaine -- what the star now calls his biggest mistake.
"It was very casual at first. That's what people were doing when they were at parties. Cocaine was even in the budgets of movies, thinly disguised," he recalled in an article he wrote for Newsweek.
But combining drug use with other personal demons took Dennis to the brink of ruin. Before he knew it, Dennis Quaid was battling a full-blown addiction.
"Coming from where I came from—lower-middle-class life, from Houston into Hollywood—and all of a sudden this success starts happening to you, I just didn't know how to handle that," Dennis recalled. "Doing blow just contributed to me not being able to handle the fame, which, at the time, I guess I felt I didn't deserve."
RELATED: Actor Sir Anthony Hopkins Turns from Alcoholism & Atheism, Becomes A Christian
In what Dennis describes as a "white-light experience", God finally opened his eyes to the destructive path he was on.
"I kind of realized I was going to be dead in five years if I didn't change my ways," the star says. "The next day I was in rehab."
The white light moment set Dennis on a path of searching -- a search that eventually ended with him recognizing Jesus was the One for whom his soul yearned.
WATCH: Dennis Quaid On Battling Cocaine Addiction
Dennis Quaid Finds Jesus
Dennis Quaid may have battled and overcome his cocaine addiction, but he was still a long way from being healed. And that's when he started searching for something to fill the hole in him that drugs and fame couldn't.
“I became a seeker, really,” he said. “I read the Bible cover to cover. For me, it’s Jesus; it’s the red words of Jesus. There really is redemption, and that was the inspiration.”
His career took off again, this time with him in a better place. But despite the huge increase in Dennis Quaid's net worth, the star knew his source of happiness didn't come from fame or money. It came from above.
RELATED: How Billy Graham Helped Chip And Joanna Find The Secret To Success
Reconnecting with Jesus changed everything. And it eventually led Dennis Quaid to play a leading role in the faith-based movie, I Can Only Imagine. Through his involvement with the film, not only did Dennis connect even further with his faith, but he also fulfilled a life-long dream for his mother, Nita.
On My Way To Heaven -- A Song For Mom
Dennis Quaid's mother, a great woman of faith, always wanted her son to write a Gospel song. And so, he'd started working on a song for her many years prior.
Over the decades, Dennis just couldn't seem to finish the song. But once he started working on I Can Only Imagine, God gave Dennis the inspiration to finish what he'd started so long ago.
"What moved me about finishing it was my character, Arthur, and how he found grace," Dennis explained. "That's the beautiful thing about the Good News that Jesus was talking about."
On My Way To Heaven, the Christian song Dennis Quaid wrote for his mom, was even included into the I Can Only Imagine movie's soundtrack.
WATCH: The Story Behind The Song, On My Way To Heaven
But this song wasn't the only way God used this movie to touch Dennis. It also soothed wounds that still existed from Dennis Quaid's battle with addiction.
While it had been years since Dennis cleaned up and turned his life around, he still harbored a lot of shame about his past addiction. But the story of redemption told by Mercy Me's lead singer Bart Millard in the movie showed Dennis what was still missing. He finally found the strength to forgive himself and experience the freedom God's grace gives us.
“After Arthur, I started having the thought of not judging anyone else and that included myself," Dennis explained. "Because you just let God take that over; let him take care of that all. It frees you up in life.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Betty White Age 97 Shares The Secret To 9 Decades Of Happiness
Though the years of addiction and recovery were difficult, Dennis Quaid says the battle "chiseled him" into the person he is today. Through his journey, Dennis says he learned "humility" and how to "appreciate what I have in this life" -- proof that God can work all things for good.
Be sure to share this inspirational short story to help encourage someone else!
h/t: The Epoch Times
Featured Image: Youtube/NBC News
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Transforming Worry into Trust - Your Daily Prayer - October 24
Worrying does nothing to benefit our lives in any way; it only takes away. It takes away the present moments and present joy you could experience, not to mention it takes away from a peaceful life.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Transforming Worry into Trust - Your Daily Prayer - October 24
Worrying does nothing to benefit our lives in any way; it only takes away. It takes away the present moments and present joy you could experience, not to mention it takes away from a peaceful life.
Past Stories
- A Cab Driver Almost Didn't Wait. Then Someone Climbed Into His Backseat Who Changed His Life Forever.
- Top Tips For A Successful Marriage From A Couple Married 87 Years. #14 Is My Favorite!
- How This Girl Was Protected From An Attacker in a Dark Alley Gave Me Chills. WOW!
- Sneaky Photobombing Dogs Have Perfect Timing
- This Christian Couple's Dedication to the Lord is Incredibly Inspiring
- These 10 Unusual Animal Friendships Are Amazing. #5 Just Melted My Heart To Pieces!
- 2 Gorilla Brothers Amazed Everyone With Their Emotions When They Were Reunited
- Orphaned Chimpanzee Gets Adopted By A Family Of Dogs
- A Tribute To A Firefighter Who Died While Saving Others
- Kids Say the Darndest Things. Especially About Marriage!
- Security Guard Loves His Job At Disney World And Spreads Joy
- These Church-Going Kids Are About To Make You Chuckle. So Cute!
- A Toddler Who Is Fighting Cancer Asked for Pizza And Got a Miracle
- Thoughtful Young Man Becomes A Human Chair For An Elderly Lady
- A Pregnant Dog with Half a Face Saved 2 Little Girls from Death. Incredible!
- 2 Friends Went to The Shore to Relax But Ended Up Saving A Lamb's Life
- God Helps a Brave Mother Keep Her Little Children Quiet for 5 Hours To Survive Terrorist Attack
- Nothing Else Could Save This Baby's Life, That's When Her Big Brother Performed a Miracle.
- Churchgoers Ignored the Pleas of A Homeless Man
- 19 Fool-Proof Ways to Turn Any Frown Upside Down
- When His Teacher Learned His Secret, It Brought Her To Tears. And Made Her A Better Person.
- She Feared For Her Life When God Told Her To Pedal. But Then, Her Trust Paid Off. WOW!
- Family Is Being Persecuted For Their Faith
- 10 Grooms' Faces When They First See Their Brides
- This Baby Was Abandoned by His Mother and Called an Ugly Duckling. Then Something Beautiful Happened
- When I Heard What This Woman Did In A Walmart Parking Lot, I Was Stunned.
- 30 Incredible Photos of Children Playing Will Show You What Sheer JOY Looks Like!
- These 6 Couples Didn't Let Storms of Life Ruin Their Wedding Days
- The Willis Family - A Tragic & Inspiring Story
- Veteran Waited On New Wheelchair For 2 Years But Then Lowe's Employees Stepped In
- This Elephant Was Chained And Beaten For 50 Years. But Now He's Free And I'm Not The Only One Crying!
- This Waiter Got The Surprise of A Lifetime from a Complete Stranger. And It Wasn't HIS Birthday!
- You Won't Believe What This 8-Year-Old Did For His Brother. To Him, He's Not Disabled, He's PERFECT!
- This Man Wrote A Letter To The Teacher Who Changed His Life. Just Wait 'Til You Read It!
- A Grieving Dad Begged for Help To Take Away The Pain. How Total Strangers Responded Had Me In Tears!
- These 3 Trees Had Big Dreams, But They Came Crashing Down! This Tale Will Change Your Life!
- Those Who Wrongfully Judged this Fisherman Because of His Appearance Missed Out on a HUGE Blessing!
- 14 Precious Rat Photos That Prove God Doesn't Make Mistakes
- Sweet Giraffe Kisses Dying Zoo Worker Goodbye
- A Father Hadn't Spoken to His Daughter in a Year. But What He Did for Her is a Lesson in Forgiveness
- These Deer Were Trapped In The Icy Waters With No Hope In Sight. Until God Sent Help Just In Time!
- He Was Bullied To His Breaking Point... But God Sent a Friend to Save His Life.
- When She Lost Her Battle With Cancer, They Lost Their Biggest Fan.
- Grieving Parents are Comforted by Wedding Dresses Turned into Angel Gowns for Babies
- This New Marine Gave Her Grandpa A Huge Surprise. And Her First Salute!
- A Soldier in Battle Faced Death. But How God 'Covered' Him and the Entire Army is Truly a MIRACLE!
- Most of Them Were Left Out of Their High School Proms, But Wait Until You See What God Had in Mind!
- What A Room Full Of Balloons Can Teach You About Joy
- He Fought Off A Rapist And Saved A Woman's Life. But He Says He's No Hero!
- Woman Writes Letter to Daughter-In-Law in the Future
Top Music Videos
CCM Magazine Steven Curtis Chapman Shares the Heartfelt Message that Helped While Grieving His Daughter
Crowder Crowder Moving Official 'Somebody Prayed' Music Video
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Mandisa Mandisa - Shackles (Praise You)
Anne Wilson Anne Wilson 'The Cross' Powerful Lyric Video
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.