Dennis Quaid has admitted to newsweek.com that he became addicted to cocaine when he first moved to Los Angeles in 1974, and it was the biggest mistake of his life. The actor, who can currently be seen in the biographical drama ‘Soul Surfer,’ said he used the drug casually at first, at parties.

“Cocaine was even in the budgets of movies, thinly disguised,” Quaid also said. He revealed that he eventually began taking it even more, as it was supplied on movie sets because everyone was doing it and making deals with it.

As a result of his drug use, the actor said he wasn’t able to handle his new fame. He added that he became a different person, and tried to pretend everything was fine when his life was falling apart. Quaid also said the addiction started to control his life, and he realized he needed to stop after his band, the Eclectics, broke up after what he described as a “crazy” show.

Quaid began recovering in the ’90s, and said that time made him into the person he is today. “It gave me the resolve and a resilience to persevere in life…In the end, it taught me humility,” he added.

Written by: Karen Benardello

Dennis Quaid