I grew up in the 1960s and 70s. And Dick Van Dyke was a mainstay on our TV. He was one of my favorite actors. I loved his TV show with Mary Tyler Moore. And of course, he was wonderful as the sweet chimney sweep in Mary Poppins.
His life on TV and film seemed so happy and calm compared to the chaos I was growing up with, in my dysfunctional home with my alcoholic parents. Little did I know that Van Dyke quietly struggled with addiction as well.
He has admitted in interviews that he started drinking as a teenager: Shyness and social anxiety played a role — alcohol “loosened” him up and helped him feel more comfortable around others: “I was very shy, I couldn’t talk to people. And I found that if I had a drink, it would loosen me up. The barriers went down and I became very social. That’s what got me started.”
But over time, Van Dyke realized that his life had begun to spiral out of control, and in 1972, at the age of 46, he checked himself into a hospital for three weeks to confront his addiction. And he’s been sober ever since.
Van Dyke turns 100 years old on December 13th this year. But he admits that before he got sober, he didn’t think he would ever live this long. He said that sobriety saved his life, and that “old age can be wonderful as long as you take care of yourself.“
In a recent New York Times article, Van Dyke discusses some of the factors he believes helped him reach the lofty milestone of becoming a centenarian. Aside from abstaining from alcohol, he believes that staying active and playful helps to keep him young. He chronicles this in his new book: “100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life.”
He stays active, going to the gym, doing yoga and stretching his body several times a week.
He commits to being playful and believes this playfulness: ‘keeps him connected to the child inside.’ He makes an effort to find moments every day to be playful, whether it’s chances to crack jokes or to make a toddler laugh in the supermarket line. Aside from being playful, he tries to say yes to what life brings whenever possible. Research has shown that being open to new experiences as an older adult is good for your brain health and emotional well-being.
But above all, Dick Van Dyke has publicly stated that sobriety was the key to his long and healthy life, noting it gave him back his joy and health.
As I approach my 68th year of life, I don’t know if I’ll reach 100, but I sure as hell plan to follow in Dick Van Dyke’s footsteps: staying active, staying playful, staying optimistic and most of all, staying sober!
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