Watch: Paula Patton Shares How Son Julian Helped Her With Sobriety JourneyPaula Patton's mission to maintain her sobriety didn't feel impossible. After all, the Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol alum's 15-year-old son Julian Thicke-whom she shares with ex-husband Robin Thicke-inspired her to work on her relationship with alcohol. "My son, he is my best friend," Paula, 49, revealed during her August 7 appearance on Today. "When I got sober, it just changed my life. He and our neighbor were my two best friends. I got to live life again, like a kid through him and her. It gives you all the reasons to want to live." Indeed, the Precious actor has traveled the world with Julian since she started her sobriety journey in 2018, three years after she and Robin finalized their divorce. In fact, she detailed their recent trip to Iceland.photosPaula Patton's Best Looks"My son and I went on a hike at 11 p.m. because it's still sunny," she explained. "We got to the top of the hike and there was a hot stream of water, so we bathed in it. Like, where can you do that? That's insane." Now that Paula is in a comfortable place in her sobriety, she's able to reflect on her life's toughest battles through her art, including her latest film Finding Faith. In the Lifetime movie, she portrays a woman named Faith who's "dealing with addiction," and she instantly connected with the role. "A lot of things mirrored my life, and I thought, 'How can I not be honest about what I've been experiencing? That seven years ago I got sober?'" she noted of her character. "I know what it is to be in chaos and find your way out."Arnold Turner/Getty Images for the 14th Annual Merge Awards)And while Paula felt inspired to play Faith, she also admitted that it was "scary" having to get back into that mindset of being inebriated. But she was able to find a method to help her safely get into character. "I called people I knew during that time and was like, 'Can you remind me how I was?' And I also listened to the music that I would listen to at the time," she continued. "But then something happened. I was able to give myself grace and just say, 'You were doing the best you could at the time. You didn't know any better, but now you do better, and it's OK.'" Keep reading to see other stars who have spoken out about their sobriety journeys... (E! and Today are both part of the NBCUniversal family.) Lisa/AFF-USA/ShutterstockAJ McLeanAfter the Backstreet Boys member relapsed in 2021, he noted he "got sober again for the last time." "I'm sticking this one out all the way," he told People in July 2025. "It's a daily thing. But I have finally done what has been suggested amongst the sober community, and my life has flipped in a positive way." While AJ acknowledged he is "still learning, still growing," he's now confident in who he is. "I've discovered new verbiage, such as boundaries, never really had those," he continued. "Now I have those, which is a blessing. AJ is a member of a group. He is a persona, but he doesn't define me as an individual. Alexander James is who I am."Stephen Lovekin/ShutterstockJason BiggsIn October 2018, the American Pie star announced he was one year sober in a celebratory and encouraging Instagram post. "I first tried to get sober over 5 years ago, when the weight of my obsession with booze and drugs became too heavy for me to handle," he wrote at the time. "Turns out this s--t is hard." He continued, "After some fits and starts, I've managed to put together one year of sobriety. I'm as proud of it as anything in my life. If you're struggling, know there's help. Don't be ashamed. We can do this." Years later, he reflected on his journey with addiction and the lengths he went to hide the his struggle. "I'm going to therapy and 'working on things' but meanwhile I'm leaving therapy, having just had a good session, and I'm going to the liquor store and buying a fifth of vodka, drinking it and then driving home," he said on a March 2024 episode of his wife Jenny Mollen's All the Fails podcast. "I knew how to get wasted enough to where I took myself out of the life equation, took myself out of the present, didn't have to connect in a way that made me feel things." He added, "I had it figured out to a T. To not get too drunk where I couldn't have a conversation with you. I was replacing those bottles in the bar all the time." Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty ImagesAshlyn HarrisThe two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champ has been open about her misuse of Adderall while battling injuries during her college soccer career. "I was getting really heavily addicted to Adderall and misusing it," she said on a 2025 episode of the Question Everything with Danielle Robay podcast. "I was taking it all the time. I would go days without sleeping. It was wild. I felt like I was gonna give myself a heart attack. I was crushing it. I was snorting it. It was so problematic." However, in the midst of her struggle, her college coach Anson Dorrance was there to suppo