In the twilight of a three-decade-long battle with addiction, a celebrated comedian emerges from the ashes, wearing his physical disfigurement not as a mark of shame, but as a badge of newfound sobriety.
Artie Lange, a comedian once beloved for his role in “Crashing,” spent the past three decades spiraling into a chasm of addiction. His drug abuse escalated to such an extent that he inadvertently snorted shards of glass in a desperate bid to get high, resulting in a collapsed nose. Rather than opting for a cosmetic fix, Lange sees his disfigured nose as a tangible reminder of his sobriety, which he has managed to maintain for the past seven months.
Despite his transformation rendering him almost unrecognizable, Lange accepts his appearance as a consequence of his past drug abuse. He refuses to mask the visible evidence of his history with substance abuse, instead wearing it as a stark symbol of the poor choices that led him down this path.
Reflecting on his past, Lange candidly shared, “I mean there were 30 years of drug abuse. Snorting heroin and cocaine. I accidentally snorted glass once, which is a long story.” It should be noted that the collapse of his nose wasn’t directly due to his substance abuse, but it was undeniably a result of the destructive lifestyle he was leading.
Lange confessed, “I got punched in the nose by a guy collecting money for a bookie.” This incident, a direct consequence of his substance abuse, ultimately led to his disfigurement.
Lange, now 51, hopes that his distinctive nose serves as a cautionary tale for the youth about the dangers of drug abuse and the destruction it can bring. This lifestyle, he stresses, is far from glamorous, even if it’s accompanied by money and success.
“Even if you make some money and have some success, you can still end up living like a straight-up scumbag,” he said. “I was never a bad person, but I did a lot of bad things because I was addicted to drugs.”
In a brutally honest confession, Lange admitted to being a frequent drug user, even resorting to snorting glass in a desperate pursuit of a high. He also confided in his belief that he would end up like many other comedians such as Chris Farley and Greg Giraldo, dead from a drug overdose in a hotel room.
Interestingly, Dr. Paul Nassif of the show “Botched” offered to reconstruct Lange’s nose if he could maintain his sobriety. However, Lange remains steadfast in his decision to keep his nose as is, a physical testament to the damage inflicted by his past lifestyle.
Lange’s recent Twitter post provided followers with an update on his journey. The photo depicted a healthier, happier Lange, noticeably slimmer and smiling, despite the evident disfigurement of his nose from the brutal punch he received.
On September 10, Lange publicly marked his seven-and-a-half-month milestone of sobriety, a journey fraught with struggles since his early twenties, battling heroin and cocaine addiction.
“Great to be home! Seven months 14 days sober but one day at a time. Lots of new stories to tell,” he said, hinting at an upcoming tour. Lange’s story serves as a potent reminder of the catastrophic effects of addiction and the transformative power of sobriety.
Source: AWM