Robert Downey Jr. has had some very difficult struggles in his public battle against addiction, which he managed to find the will to conquer, earning his career an incredible second wind.
Second wind feels like an understatement when he went on to play Tony Stark in the Marvel Universe. The success of Iron Man undoubtedly opened many doors and was certainly a catalyst for modern superhero movies. It wasn’t the first, but it definitely carried the torch in a big way, and took things to a new level, sort of like how The Dark Knight did, except Marvel seems to have run with it a lot more so than DC.
Overcoming: Robert Downey Jr Drug Addiction and Recovery
You can attribute Robert Downey Jr.’s recovery to any number of things. His sheer willpower, getting support with mental health and having access to world-class doctors and rehab specialists, support from friends and family, and hitting rock bottom.
But the Robert Down Jr. Burger King story is one of the more unique aspects of his recovery, unless of course you work in marketing for Burger King, in which case you probabally don’t want people to talk about this all that much.
What was it that opened RDJ’s eyes and made him change his ways, besides everything we’ve mentioned so far?
It was a disgusting meal from Burger King.
The meal was so bad, in fact, that Robert Downey Jr. has publicly thanked Burger King for helping him kick his drug addiction and turning his life around. While driving around in his car, filled to the brim with drugs, Robert pulled over to order a burger and a drink.
“I have to thank Burger King,” he said in an interview. “It was such a disgusting burger I ordered. I had that, and this big soda, and I thought something really bad was going to happen.”
He then proceeded to go to the ocean, where he threw all of his drug stash into the water. Now, aside from some heavily intoxicated fish who may now be seeing the world through a third-eye, all’s well that ends well.
It’s not the most glowing review for the BK Lounge to receive, but Robert even took it a step further by giving a shout-out to his favorite/least-favorite fast food chain in the first Iron Man movie, where Tony Stark asks for a Burger King sandwich after being released in one particular scene. So, all’s well that ends well, right?
We’re happy that the RDJ drugs story isn’t a tragic one in the end, because he found the strength and support to turn his life around.
Robert Downey Jr. Burger King
When you’ve hit rock bottom and been arrested for drugs, nearly lost your entire career and your life’s work, but it’s a burger that finally helps you realize it’s time to turn your life around… Well, let’s just say that people probabally weren’t lining up to order from the King too soon after. If you’re struggling with addiction of your own, you don’t have to wait until you find a nasty hamburger to get help. At the end of the day, RDJ was being at least partially tongue in cheek here, so if you’re struggling, it’s probably not going to be a hamburger that saves your life.
The bottom of an article about hamburgers might be an odd place to say this, but hang in there, and never be afraid to reach out for help and to understand that it’s a process that can involve a lot of trial and error. When recovery doesn’t backfire, you’re still closer to overcoming it, you’ve just found one additional method that didn’t work for you. Don’t give up. You may not have the same support systems and resources that Robert Downey Junior had to help him quit drugs, and you may love Burger King, but you can still do this.
