Israeli Actor Itay Turgeman Opens Up About Past Addiction Struggles

Israeli actor and TV host Itay Turgeman opened up during an episode of "Zug Menatzeach VIP" on Keshet 12, revealing his long and difficult battle with alcohol and drug addiction that accompanied his acting career. Turgeman shared that alcohol quickly became his closest friend, noting that the situation was alarming across all parameters.

The Turning Point and Denial

Turgeman recalled the turning point when his psychotherapist suggested he join a support group for addicts—a suggestion he initially met with resistance and denial. "It was hard for me. I told him: 'What do you mean? I have a career, I'm fine, I'm just surrounded by a society that normalizes this,'" he explained, referring to heavy drinking, going out four times a week, and drug use.

"I sat in that group for the first time, and everyone described their addiction. With a bit of embarrassment, I told them: 'I don't think I'm in such a severe case.' Today, I know how to say I was in a severe case," Turgeman confessed.

Addiction on Set

He added that the addiction seeped into his acting profession itself, transforming his passion into a compulsive need. "It started from a dream and pure love, and it became 'I'm acting because I have to, because it's my medicine.' Because only when I'm on set, and only when I'm famous and at the peak of my popularity, do I feel worthy."

Itay Turgeman, known as Turgi, is an acclaimed actor, television host, and emotional coach. Having burst onto the scene in the late 1990s, he achieved historic recognition as the youngest-ever winner of the Ophir Award, alongside winning an Israeli Television Academy award for his role in the acclaimed series "Hazarot". In recent years, Turgeman has undergone a process of spiritual strengthening and teshuvah, dedicating part of his life to emotional coaching and mental healing through Jewish tradition.