Josh Brolin Admits Heroin Use, Claims Most Of The Guys He Grew Up With Are Dead

Josh Brolin has admitted that he has tried heroin in the past, while also claiming that most of the people he grew up with are now dead.

The Hollywood actor made the startling claims during a candid interview with The Guardian. The 46-year-old son of actor James Brolin and wildlife activist Jane Cameron brazenly confided to the publication, “I tried heroin,” before explaining that he even robbed cars in order to buy the drug.

“That sounds so horrible when you put it like that. But yeah, I tried heroin,” he confirmed. “I mean, I never got into it and I never died from it, which is a good thing.”

However, it was at this point that Brolin morbidly conceded that several of his old acquaintances had actually succumbed to their addiction. “I’ve had 19 friends who died,” The No Country For Old Men star stated. “Most of those guys I grew up with, they’re all dead now.”

Brolin also described how he had been part of a surf gang entitled the Cito Rats during his youth, something that he mixed with starring in films such as The Goonies.

He tried to downplay the gang though, insisting that it was simply a group of friends who looked out for each other because their parents were quite distant. “It was Santa Barbara. It was the 80s. It was punk rock,” Brolin explained. “You either had the children of rich, neglectful parents or children of poor, neglectful parents, so it was a mix. But we basically grew up the same way. I’ve never seen a group like that before or since.”

Brolin stated that he tried heroin because, at the time, he was living by a mantra that revolved around him experiencing everything that life had to offer. “I used to think you should try to deconstruct everything,” he remarked. “Experience everything. Just get yourself out there. But I don’t believe that any more. Having adventures is all very well, but an imagination can make up for all that. That’s the more intelligent way to be. And it keeps you out of harm’s way.”

It was a pretty bad 2013 for Brolin, who got himself into a spot of bother back in November 2013 when he became embroiled in a bar room spate with a bouncer while drunk. And then a month later his divorce from Diane Lane was also finalized after 9 years of marriage.

[Image via Featureflash/Shutterstock]