He accepted help the same day he was offered it, in the studio where he was filming a soap opera, and it was the first step towards recovery, but it was not easy to leave behind many years of cocaine use – daily and uncontrolled, in the final phase. Actor and one of the most famous faces on television, Pedro Barroso admits that addiction destroys him in relationships with friends and family, in relation to colleagues, as well as financially and physically.
In this interview, part of a series “Labyrinth – Mental Health Conversations”, an initiative by Observador and FLAD, recorded at the Pestana Palácio do Freixo in Porto, says that he “didn’t feel” before, although cocaine gave him precisely the opportunity to talk about things that he used to prefer to hide. . Grandmother’s death exposed the emotions she had tried so hard to suppress and opened the way to healing. At the center, where he stayed for five months, he felt fear, sadness and shame that he had to look at everything he had done – and share it with other patients. But he also felt safe, balanced and happy.
He says bluntly that it’s important to talk about relapses: after a few months he started using again; and relapse after traveling the world. He says it’s always been like a mountain has come crashing down on him, and that’s also the reason he always talks about addiction in the present, not least because the urge to consume may not be daily, but the anxiety is always there. . If something becomes disorganized and out of balance, “the light comes on.”
However, life has changed a lot: he lives in the village of Freixo with his wife Mariana and son Santiago, who is now eight months old. He has established himself as an entrepreneur, although he remains connected to television and believes he is beginning to prepare for a comeback. It’s also because he answers with a clear “no” to the question of whether his addiction has irreparably prevented him from becoming the actor he could be: “It’s important that I can put it into words: I have big goals.”
This article is for our subscribers only: subscribe now and get unlimited reading and other benefits. If you are already a subscriber start your session here🇧🇷 If you think this message is wrong, please contact our support team.
