When was Kelsey Grammer arrested? Addiction struggles explored as actor recalls using coke and alcohol amid battle with grief

Kelsey Grammer, best known for his role as Dr. Frasier in Cheers, encountered legal issues for the first time back in 1988 when he was apprehended for cocaine possession. The Los Angeles Times mentions that he spent a month behind bars (1988).

“I made a mistake, and I take responsibility for it.” — Kelsey Grammer via LA Times court report, 1988

In 1990, he was arrested once more in Malibu for DUI and cocaine possession after crashing his vehicle. As per People Magazine (1990), he was sentenced to three years of probation alongside community service and compulsory rehabilitation.

“I flipped my car... I was in a blackout, and they found some drugs in the car.” — Kelsey Grammer said during CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight, 2012

During this period, Grammer was experiencing a meteoric rise in his career; however, his personal life was problematic. Despite everything going right for Grammer, these legal issues put a halt to the legal mayhem that ensued his successful television run.

Suffering through trauma using drugs

Grammer has often spoken about the enormous psychological strain from his tragic personal life as the reason behind his addiction, tying his substance abuse. While appearing on Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN in 2012, Grammer disclosed:

“I was using cocaine and alcohol to cover the pain... I was out of control and trying to silence a lot of things I didn’t want to face.”

Among the tragedies he referenced was the 1975 homicide of his sister Karen, who was only 18 years old at the time, along with the unintentional deaths of his half-brothers in a scuba diving accident.

In his 2023 interview with The Times (UK), Grammer reiterated how grief was a lingering and unsettling element in his life, stating,

“The anger and the rage and the sense of injustice that came with it were difficult to contain.”

Recovery and rebuilding

Grammer spiraled downwards early on but appeared to have started on the road to recovery, which he profoundly achieved in the 1990s. He strived to check into rehab several times and mentions finding faith, therapy, and his family as the factors contributing to his lasting stability. While speaking to Oprah’s Next Chapter in 2012, he admitted,

“I got to a place where I knew I had to make a change. Sobriety became my only option.”

How addiction shaped his legacy

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Though Grammer's prior arrests could've spiraled out of control, he managed to regain control of his life and turn his struggles into motivation for his art. Winning several Primetime Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Frasier Crane is just an example of his success; he has also done significant work in film and theater.

In the 2023 Frasier reboot, he not only reprised his character, who is beloved by many, but also marks a personal achievement for himself after years of strife, pain, and addiction.

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