Actor Dennis Quaid recently described how his faith saved him. In an interview published by People Magazine Wednesday, he said he had a “white light experience” that changed his life.
Dennis Quaid Says Faith Saved Him After Addiction: 'I'm Grateful to Still Be Here' (Exclusive) https://t.co/SEIcTMgcxZ pic.twitter.com/aUFvBFomdb
— People (@people) July 26, 2023
Quaid looked back on his journey. He noted being in a band and how they broke up after getting a big break because he “was not reliable.”
He reached success in the late 70s and into the 80s, but struggled with addiction issues. Quaid checked himself into rehab, but called it “cocaine school.”
Quaid went on to explain that it was faith that saved him, not rehab. He said, “I remember going home and having kind of a white light experience that I saw myself either dead or in jail or losing everything I had, and I didn’t want that.”
Then he detailed it was his love of music that always connected him to God.
“I grew up at the Baptist church; I love the hymns that I remember from being a kid,” he said.
“The songs are self-reflective and self-examining, not churchy. All of us have a relationship with God, whether you’re a Christian or not,” he added.
This love of God through music helped Quaid overcome his addiction issues. He stated, “When you’re done with the addiction, you need something to fill that hole, something that really works, right?”
He explained turning to music filled that void. He wrote a song for his mother called “On My Way to Heaven” in 1990.
“That’s when I started developing a personal relationship,” he noted.
Quaid admitted, “Before that, I didn’t have one, even though I grew up as a Christian.”
He celebrated being able to share his story and said, “I’m grateful to still be here. I’m grateful to be alive really every day.”
Quaid concluded, “It’s important to really enjoy your ride in life as much as you can, because there’s a lot of challenges and stuff to knock it down.”