What led Javed Akhtar to rum? His whisky allergy, beer belly fat, and shocking 18 bottles in 1 sitting story will leave you speechless

Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of alcohol.

Lyricist Javed Akhtar never shies away from speaking his heart out. He has also been very open about his addiction to alcohol and the tough journey he faced, ultimately leading to quitting it. Now, he opened up on how his allergy to whiskey led him to develop a beer addiction. He shared that he used to have 18 bottles of beer in one sitting at that time. However, when the veteran lyricist noticed growing belly fat, he decided to switch to rum.

During a candid interaction with Mid-day, Javed Akhtar opened up on getting allergic to whiskey, leading him to get addicted to alcohol, and said, “I got allergic to whiskey. Then, I thought that I must have only beer. However, I used to drink 18 bottles of beer in only one sitting.”

Further talking about turning towards rum, he shared, “Fir mujhe laga ki yaar yeh kya pet phoola raha hun main apna (Why am I increasing my belly fat with beer)? So, I quit it and started drinking rum.” The lyricist and screenwriter also added that he was so addicted that he didn’t need any company to drink alcohol. He shared that he would even have it alone if he found no one around. 

Earlier, during his appearance on Satyameva Jayate, Javed Akhtar revealed that he had had an alcohol addiction since he was 19. He shared that when he came to Mumbai after his graduation, he began drinking with friends. However, slowly, it turned into an addiction. Further, he added that he struggled financially in the initial days, but later, when he got ‘enough money,’ he used to drink 1 bottle daily. 

Meanwhile, he once also talked about quitting alcohol on July 31, 1991. In an interview on the Be A Man, Yaar podcast, he counts quitting alcohol among the ‘few good things’ he has done. Javed Akhtar shared that he drank alcohol for the last time on this date, and since then, he has never even taken a sip of champagne. “I never took a sip of champagne after that. Not even during celebratory cheers,” he said.

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Disclaimer: If you know someone who is struggling with alcohol or substance abuse, please reach out to the authorities and report it. There are several helplines available for the same.

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