Actor Saša Rašilov opens up about his past struggle with alcohol

Well-known Czech actor Saša Rašilov (54) has admitted that he once struggled with alcohol dependency, which became his way of escaping problems during his marriage to actress Vanda Hybnerová (57). He spoke about this difficult period of his life on Čestmír Strakatý's show.

"It helps when you're feeling down and have no energy left. And what does a friend say? Come on, let's have a beer — and everything will be fine," the actor said, describing the typical thinking that drew him into drinking.

Rašilov managed to quit drinking for good eight years ago — largely, he says, thanks to his second wife, Ludmila Rašilová (40). Even so, he still occasionally allows himself a beer in the company of friends. "You can modestly go out for a beer once a week. If you can't do that, you shouldn't be drinking at all. Fortunately, I realised that in time," he admitted.

The actor noted that admitting he had a problem with alcohol wasn't easy for him. Gradually, he came to realise that beer couldn't be a way of coping with a bad mood or fatigue. Today he's able to tell the difference between simply sitting with friends and moments when alcohol could once again become a threat.

According to Rašilov, it's precisely the seemingly harmless get-togethers with friends that most easily pull a person back into dependency. That's why it's important to know your own limits clearly and not convince yourself that everything is under control when it really isn't.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by ahaonline.cz