‘That kind of loose guy has always been there’: Firass Dirani talks about his ‘dependency on alcohol’ and reveals the tragedy that prompted his ‘wake-up call’ on SAS Australia
Firass Dirani spoke about his previous ‘dependency on alcohol’ on Tuesday’s episode of SAS Australia.
After being asked to turn in his armband by his fellow recruits, the 37-year-old actor dug his heels in before revealing his reasons for staying on the show.
‘Sometimes people might misunderstand me. In my late 20s, I had a dependency on alcohol,’ he confessed.
Real talk: Firass Dirani spoke about his previous ‘dependency on alcohol’ on Tuesday’s episode of SAS Australia
‘When I woke up, I thought, “Oh, I wouldn’t mind healing this hangover by having a couple of beers.”‘
He said his ‘wake-up call’ only came when a friend of his ‘overdosed’.
‘A certain friend that was going as hard as me, and he, uh, he overdosed,’ Firass confessed, become tearful.
Getting personal: After being asked to turn in his armband by his fellow recruits, the 37-year-old actor dug his heels in before revealing his reasons for staying on the show
‘Sometimes people might misunderstand me. In my late 20s, I had a dependency on alcohol,’ he confessed. Pictured on a night out in Melbourne in April 2015
He added: ‘It was definitely a wake-up call.’
Firass then admitted that he still has a hard time switching off that aspect of himself.
‘I still, you know, that personality, that kind of loose guy has always been there from a young age. Always. Sometimes it comes back,’ he continued.
‘When I woke up, I thought, “Oh, I wouldn’t mind healing this hangover by having a couple of beers,”‘ he confessed
Talking to his fellow recruits, Firass claimed he ‘owned’ his bad behaviour, after they urged him to quit the show for all their sakes.
‘Hopefully through this experience I can exercise my patience with people or situations,’ he added.
‘But, for me, I’d feel terrible if I quit, because I would’ve let myself down, friends. I can’t see myself quitting.’
Sobering: He said his ‘wake-up call’ only came when a friend of his ‘overdosed’. ‘A certain friend that was going as hard as me, and he, uh, he overdosed,’ Firass confessed. Pictured at the Men’s Health Man competition in Sydney
In a May 2014 interview with the now defunct CLEO magazine, Firass revealed he’d been sober for 18 months.
At the time, he called his decision to quit alcohol ‘probably the best decision I’ve ever made’.
‘I have a lot more direction, a lot more clarity. I’m self-reflective, I have a new perspective on life, and I don’t waste time like I used to,’ he added.
‘I still, you know, that personality, that kind of loose guy has always been there from a young age. Always. Sometimes it comes back,’ he continued