Sharon Stone has shared a new update on her health, revealing that she now describes herself as living a “drug-free life” after stopping one of the medications she had been taking since her near-fatal stroke and brain hemorrhage in 2001, as well as giving up cannabis.
The Basic Instinct alum, 68, has previously described the devastating impact of the stroke, recalling: “I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t walk.” Doctors gave her just a 1% chance of survival, but after years of rehabilitation and medication, Stone told Variety that she ultimately decided to stop one of the medications she had been taking because she wanted to “get my life back.”
Stone’s latest update comes after she gradually returned to work, landing roles in Euphoria and Nobody 2, while also continuing her successful modeling career. She has also dedicated herself to painting, which she has previously said became an important part of her recovery. Keep reading for more information…
Women Are Swapping Their Boring Water For This Ice Pop Electrolyte Mix!
Sharon Stone Opens Up About Living A 'Drug-Free Life' After Her Stroke
The ageless Casino star revealed to Variety that she stopped taking one of the medications she was prescribed following her nearly fatal 2001 stroke, despite her doctors telling her that she could never come off it. She also revealed that she later stopped using cannabis, explaining that she wanted to live what she described as a "drug-free life."
Stone admitted it wasn't easy to stop taking the medication, comparing the experience to withdrawing from a Class A drug. "I got off one of my medications that I was on for my stroke last September, and they said I couldn't go off of it. They said, 'You can't go off of it. You can never go off of it.' I'm like, 'I'm going off it,' and it was like going off of [expletive] heroin. I was sick as a frigging dog for four and a half months," she confessed.
The actress explained that the difficult experience ultimately came down to wanting to regain control of her life. "I just thought, 'I want my life back.' I had gotten off the majority of the drugs over the years that they had put me on. But I was like, 'I want a drug-free life,'" she added.
Stone explained that she began using cannabis after coming off the medication, but later became ill again after stopping that too. She suggested that modern cannabis products may have contributed to how unwell she felt, saying, "They put so much stuff" in cannabis products.
"It's not like you're pulling it out of the ground anymore. It's not like when we were kids," she continued, adding: "I got pretty sick for a month. I went to my neurologist, and he said, 'Sharon, I've had people dying in the emergency room from marijuana.'"
Sharon Stone Has Inspired Others After Her Stroke
More than two decades after her stroke and brain hemorrhage, the Total Recall star has become a passionate advocate for stroke awareness, frequently sharing her story in the hope of encouraging others facing their own health challenges. Her remarkable recovery has also made her an inspiration to many fans and fellow stroke survivors.
In January 2025, Stone hosted the American Heart Association's Red Dress Collection Concert, where she reflected on the difficult journey she had overcome since suffering her stroke and brain hemorrhage.
"I walked out of that hospital, 18% of my body mass gone, dragging my right foot, unable to write my own name. Now I'm right here hosting this ball on two feet in five-inch heels, and I can do it, and I made it, and you can too," the What About Love actress previously told People.
"I want to say to people, 'You can do it,'" Stone continued, adding: "And I want them to look at me and know, [I had] a husband that was divorcing me, with everybody fighting to take everything, with the bank, who had taken $18M of my life savings. I had nothing. I had no money. No career. I was destitute with a 1% chance of surviving."
The Intersection actress has also urged people to recognize the warning signs of a stroke and seek emergency medical care immediately. "If your face starts to fall in any way or has numbness, if your arm feels strange or numb in any way, if your speech is weird, or you say something and it's not what you were trying to say, or your speech is slurred – you have no time, call an ambulance," she advised.
