Comedian and actor Russell Brand is no stranger to controversy, but in a recent conversation with former MMA fighter Bas Rutten, Brand peeled back the curtain on the deeper spiritual truths behind his past battles with addiction, and how God used his lowest moments as a catalyst for transformation.
“Addiction is the soul’s attempt to make the material feel holy, to fill a God-shaped void with pleasure, fame, or chemicals,” Brand said in a clip he posted to X. For him, addiction wasn’t merely about escapism. It was a symptom of a spiritual hunger, a longing for something eternal, something sacred.
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This hunger for the holy, Brand explained, often drives people toward idols that ultimately fail them. “Sex can’t give it to you. Fame can’t give it to you. Money can’t give it to you,” he said. “So in the end, you have to introduce chemicals which can at least alter your state.” But even those could not satisfy the soul.
Scripture echoes this deeply human struggle. In James 1:2-4, believers are told to “count it all joy… when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” Rather than viewing suffering as abandonment, the Bible reveals that trials are often a refining fire—an invitation to return to the One who alone can satisfy.
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Brand described how, after he gave up resisting God and could no longer outrun his emptiness, he descended into a spiritual crisis. “After [the] fighting ended, I spiraled. The devil attacked me, but God allowed it, because rock bottom wasn’t the end; it was the path back to Him.”
That single line encapsulates a profound biblical truth: God doesn’t waste our suffering. In fact, Romans 8:28 reminds us that “for those who love God all things work together for good.”
For Brand, the process of healing didn’t begin with numbing the pain—it began with facing it and recognizing its spiritual cause. “Addiction is an attempt to sanctify and make spiritual the material,” he said. “That our thirst for God and our hunger for the holy is so strong that you have to have God.”
These confessions are not just about Brand’s personal recovery. They are reminders of a greater truth: even in our darkest moments, God is present and working. Isaiah 43:2 promises, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.”
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No matter how deep the pit, the gospel assures us there’s no place too far for God’s grace to reach. Whether you’re struggling with addiction, depression, or simply searching for meaning, Brand’s testimony, and Scripture itself, makes one thing clear: rock bottom may just be the beginning of redemption.
As Brand discovered, “You have to have God.” Nothing else will do.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
