Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Health and Human Services Secretary, opened up about his past struggles with drugs and alcohol, sharing raw details of his addiction journey. On a recent podcast, Kennedy reflected on the extremes of his substance use and explained how his decades-long recovery shaped the way he approaches sobriety and helping others.
RFK Jr. revealed this about his struggles with substance abuse
Kennedy told Theo Von on This Past Weekend about their first meeting at recovery sessions. He said that when the pandemic closed public meetings, he kept connecting with others in a private “pirate” group. “I didn’t care what happened—I was going to a meeting every day,” Kennedy said. “I’m not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.”
Kennedy, in recovery for 43 years, stressed that going to daily meetings during the pandemic was crucial for staying alive. “I know this disease will kill me, right? Like if I don’t treat it…for me, going to meetings every day, it’s just bad for my life,” he said. He also pointed out that supporting others in recovery is “the secret sauce” that keeps everyone accountable and sober.
He opened up about his early drug struggles, tracing the start of his addiction shortly after his father, Robert F. Kennedy Sr., was assassinated in 1968. Kennedy experimented with LSD, opioids, and methamphetamine before spiraling into 14 years of heroin use (via USA Today). In a 2024 interview, he admitted that while drugs once “worked for me” in school, they eventually took over his life. “I went to the top of my class because my mind was so restless and turbulent, and I could not sit still,” Kennedy explained.
Kennedy also credits his sobriety, which began in 1983, to a turning point after a heroin possession arrest. Since then, he’s stayed clean through daily accountability and active participation in recovery programs. As per Kennedy, it was “the best thing that could have happened to me” because it resulted in his breaking away from his addiction.
