Robert Downey Jr tells Vanity Fair his drug addiction was normal

Los Angeles - Robert Downey Jr. says his drug addiction was "perfectly normal".

The Iron Man star - who struggled with substance abuse in the past and was charged with the possession of cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin before being ordered to complete multiple stays in rehab - believes becoming "obsessive" about something is simply a phase of life.

On the topic of battling his past demons, he told Vanity Fair magazine: "For some folks it's just a function of age. It's perfectly normal for people to be obsessive about something for a period of time, then leave it alone."



The 49-year-old actor - who also spent time in jail after breaking out of court-ordered rehab - finally recognises the ways in which addicts can successfully tackle their issues, although he admitted he took a slightly different path to getting clean.

He explained: "Job one is get out of that cave. A lot of people do get out but don't change. So the thing is to get out and recognise the significance of that aggressive denial of your fate, come through the crucible forged into a stronger metal. Or whatever. But I don't even know if that was my experience."

"It's funny: five years ago, I would've made it sound like I'm conscious of my own participation in seizing the similarities. But so many things have become less certain. I swear to God. I am not my story."

Robert was also quick to come to the defence of his son, Indio, who was arrested over the possession of cocaine in June.

The Oscar nominee alleges the 20 year old has inherited a "predisposition" to addiction and believes the readily available information about his own struggle with drugs has only served to accelerate his spiral into substance use.

He said: "That's typical in the Information Age; things get accelerated. You're confronted with histories and predispositions and influences and feelings and unspoken traumas or needs that weren't met, and all of a sudden you're three miles into the woods."

"Can you help someone get out of those woods? Yes, you can. By not getting lost looking for them."

Here is a teaser behind the scenes of Robert's Vanity Fair cover shoot:



Click here to see the full video.