Dennis Quaid says Christianity helped him through addiction, plans gospel album
Dennis Quaid's Christianity is at the forefront of his new album, an homage to the faith he says got him out of addiction.
"The Parent Trap" actor, 69, overcame an addiction to cocaine in the '90s amid young success. "I'm grateful to still be here, I'm grateful to be alive really every day," he told People for its August cover.
Quaid recalled having a "white light experience" during that time where he saw himself "either dead or in jail or losing everything I had, and I didn't want that."
The moment prompted the native Texan to get reacquainted with Christianity. He also read other religious text such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Quran. "When you're done with the addiction, you need something to fill that hole, something that really works, right?"
Quaid said he "grew up as a Christian," but didn't have a strong connection to it until he started his sobriety journey and entered rehab.
"It's a struggle," the actor and musician said. "We're all looking for the joy of life, and drugs give that to you and alcohol and whatever it is for anybody give that to you really quick. Then they're fun and then they're fun with problems, and then they're just problems after a while."
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He added: "That's really what we're looking for, the joy of life, which is our gift, actually, the relationship with God that we all have. It's at the bottom of it, the joy of being alive."
Now, Quaid is gearing up to release Christian album "Fallen: A Gospel Record For Sinners" on Friday. "The songs are self-reflective and self-examining, not churchy," he said.
"All of us have a relationship with God, whether you’re a Christian or not," the singer continued.
Quaid, who married 30-year-old Laura Savoie in 2020, added that he is no longer chasing happiness. "I'm the happiest I've ever been," he said.
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