Michael Caine admits to drinking a 'bottle of vodka a day' as a young actor: I was a 'piss artist'

Michael Caine is able to look back on his career and be proud of his accomplishments, but he admits he wasn’t living the healthiest lifestyle as a young actor. In fact, he admitted he was such a big drinker that he would consume up to a bottle of vodka a day.

In an interview with the Radio Times, the 82-year-old actor said his drinking was caused by stress.

“I was a bit of a piss artist when I was younger,” he said. “I used to drink a bottle of vodka a day and I was smoking several packs a day.”

His drinking wasn’t the result of being “unhappy,” he explained. Rather, he was thinking about every detail of his career. “You know, ‘Am I going to get another picture? How am I going to do this part? How am I going to remember all those lines? I’ve got to get up at six in the morning and I hope the alarm works.’”

The Youth star went on to credit his wife of over 40 years, Shakira Baksh, with being a good influence during this time of his life and helped him with cutting back.

“Without her, I would have been dead long ago,” he admitted. “I would have probably drunk myself to death.”

In an interview with The Telegraph last week, Caine gave an update on his drinking and said he only drinks wine with dinner.

“She didn’t say, ‘You’ve got to stop drinking,’ but being with her made me want to stay sober and be alive,” he said of Baksh.

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