‘Tudors’ Jonathan Rhys Meyers Says He’s Not An Alcoholic, He’s Allergic To Alcohol

Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers explains that he has a complicated relationship with alcohol, but he’s not actually an alcoholic. Many episodes of what Meyers calls “problem drinking” rather than alcoholism have been in public and the latest on an airplane. The Tudors actor explains that the whole problem stems from an allergy.

The Daily Mail says that Jonathan Rhys Meyers says that he is still disappointed in himself because he started drinking again, and he shouldn’t.

“I’ve let myself down by relapsing, and it’s my responsibility. Nobody else is to blame.”

Meyers says that his reaction to drinking alcohol is more involved than just getting drunk.

“I actually don’t like the taste of alcohol. I would be known as somebody who relapses with problem drinking, not alcoholism. I don’t suffer from alcoholism – I suffer from an allergy to alcohol every time I drink it. When I drink, the consequences are so devastating that it is a problem. But I never need a drink. It’s not something I crave.”

The actor, who plays Henry VIII, says that there are certain situations, like being in airports and flying that trigger his bouts of drinking.

And Meyers has now gotten himself in legal trouble several times in airports and on planes.

“People who go through this look for things in their life that trigger them. And airports are a trigger for me because they make you sit there for three hours, you can’t smoke and you’re surrounded by alcohol. That is not an excuse, there’s never an excuse for me to drink.”

Most recently, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and his wife Mara got into a ruckus on a flight from South America where he decided to start drinking again after a period of sobriety.

“Last week on a plane back from Peru, after eight months of sobriety, I decided to have a few drinks. My wife was upset at me, and I learned my lesson. I got off the airplane, went straight back to my meetings and got sober immediately.”

While the fight between Meyers and his wife was disruptive on the flight, it did not rise to the level of legal consequences, but the actor says he realizes that he needed to address the bigger picture.

“And you know, I can speak all the words, but my actions tell the difference. So my action was to go home, apologize to my wife, call who I needed to call and explain to them exactly what had happened. My responsibility is not to take the first drink… and I failed, but I realised that I failed and I got back up.”

Meyers says that he is committed to avoiding drink in the future, and being aware of his particular triggers.