Joshua Bassett Says Addiction ‘Should Have Killed Me’ but His Community Helped Him Overcome ‘a Lot of Rock Bottoms’
Joshua Bassett Says Addiction ‘Should Have Killed Me’ but His Community Helped Him Overcome ‘a Lot of Rock Bottoms’
Vanessa EtienneWed, June 10, 2026 at 4:19 PM UTC
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Joshua BassettCredit: Bryan Bedder/Getty -
Joshua Bassett opened up about his ketamine addiction leading to a near-death experience in 2021
The actor credits his recovery to addressing underlying pain and building a strong support system with loved ones
Bassett emphasized the importance of community in overcoming addiction and combating feelings of isolation
Joshua Bassett is sharing how vital his community has been while navigating addiction.
The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star, 25, appeared on the June 9 episode of the More Life with Carl Radke podcast and opened up about his struggle with addiction and how he stays on top of his health.
Bassett started drinking alcohol at age 14 after giving into his "strong desire to fit in." That ultimately progressed to drug abuse and he later developed a ketamine addiction. It became so severe that it led to a near-death experience in 2021.
"I was like 23 when things got really out of hand. It should have killed me, the level of [substance use]," he said on the show. "It really was like a daily nightmare, and it just progressed and progressed and progressed and got to a point of almost killing me."
"I was constantly in a state of extreme fight, flight, freeze, distress," he added. "Every day was just an attempt to disappear. I didn't wanna kill myself. I just didn't want to be alive. So I did everything I could to be completely numb, and the second I wasn't numb, I did anything I could to get numb again."
Joshua BassettCredit: Alberto Rodriguez/Variety/Getty
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The "Golden Years" singer explained that eventually, he had to determine the root cause of his substance abuse in order to overcome his addiction.
"If you deal with the underlying pain, the reason that you're even reaching for the bottle, then I think that's the solution," he said. "Obviously there's certain point where you do need to restrict yourself and you might need help… but if you just cut off all substances, but you do none of the work in your in your heart and in your soul, then it's only a matter of time in my opinion before you kind of end up back in the same place. So that's been something I've been really focused on in my journey."
Bassett then clarified that although he's no longer using ketamine, he's "not stone-cold sober." He said he wanted to be transparent about his journey and noted that he's figured out a "system" that works best for him.
"My roommate and my best friend, we have a system of accountability and I can't break a pinky promise. I won't be able to look them in the eyes," he explained. "So I have systems in place to ensure that I don't fall into a spot that would be harmful again because I think the danger before was isolation. I was completely alone. Nobody was checking me, you know, I kind of did whatever I wanted."
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Bassett then elaborated that maintaining those connections with loved ones is the key to staying healthy.
"I believe the opposite of addiction is connection," he said. "You look at a lot of issues in the world and a lot at the root of it is a lack of connection, a lack of community. And social media gives us the illusion of connection. It's a launch pad for connection, but it's not the connection itself."
"There's so many days, even now, where I'm having a really, really tough day, really anxious, and then I see some of my good friends and instantly I'm like, everything's okay. They kind of bring me back down to the ground," he continued. "So that's a huge fundamental part of life that we're really lacking these days, and that's for a handful of reasons, but I think we're underestimating what community can do."
Joshua BassettCredit: Kevin Winter/WireImage
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The actor admitted that although he values community, it can be a little "embarrassing to tell people that you've fallen again."
"I think with shame and everything, when you do screw up or if you set a standard for yourself or you make an agreement with a friend and then you fall, there's this shame and embarrassment and that ironically that keeps you more trapped," he explained. "But I think if they really care about you, they won't judge."
Bassett said it "took a lot of rock bottoms" but he and his community were able to get him help and the resources to overcome his addiction.
"Eventually you just get to a point where…you stop believing the lie that you can do it all yourself," he added.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
