Anthony Bourdain had little to no substances in his system at the time of his death, his toxicology report showed. “No trace of narcotics. No trace of any toxic products,” French prosecutor Christian de Rocquingny told Reuters (via CBC). The celebrity chef’s blood tested positive only for traces of alcohol and nonnarcotic medication “in therapeutic dose,” meaning he took just enough for it to have the appropriate effect.
Bourdain had been open about his past struggles with addiction. “We were high all the time … Hardly a decision was made without drugs,'” he wrote in his 2000 bestselling book, “Kitchen Confidential.” Even though he used any kind of drug available, Bourdain was particularly hooked on heroin. He knew he was lucky to come out the other side of his addiction alive after managing to quit without going to rehab. “I should’ve died in my 20s,” he told Biography.com in 2016 (via CNBC).
In “Kitchen Confidential,” he recalled riding in a cab with three friends after reading an article that stated only one in four addicts recover. “And right there, I knew that if one of us was getting off dope, and staying off dope, it was going to be me,” he wrote. But he continued to drink, oftentimes heavily — even on TV. “How many heroin addicts just stop using without going to rehab, and continue drinking? It’s like you’re papering over the real problems,” filmmaker Morgan Neville, who produced “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain,” told Vanity Fair.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255). If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
