Robert Downey Jr's Dad Started Giving Him Drugs When He Was Only Six

Robert Downey has revealed he was introduced to the dangerous world of drugs when he was only six

Actor Robert Downey Jr. has always been pretty vocal about his drug addiction. Recently, he reveiled how young he was when he started taking drugs and how his father was the one who introduced them to him. 

Hollywood's beloved actor was only six when his dad started giving him the drugs. Back when he was a small kid, Robert's dad saw him taking a sip from a glass of white wine whilst he was playing poker at their family home in New York.

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Robert's father, instead of taking the glass away from him, handed him his own joint and told him he could puff on it instead of drinking alcohol.

Robert Downey's dad said;

“We were all sitting around, smoking grass and playing poker down in the old West Village loft, and Robert was staring at me kind of funny—Robert was always an observer of it all, even at a very young age. And I go, ‘You know, you ought to try a little of this instead of drinking'.

His father was the one who offered him a joint at the tender age of six and later on took him along to watch X-rated movies

“I passed him a joint. And suddenly I knew I had made a terrible, stupid mistake…Giving a little kid a toke of grass just to be funny,” he admitted.

Robert's director father had no idea how his unconventional approach to parenting would eventually lead his child to run into issues with substance abuse and legal problems, before overcoming his past and becoming the world’s highest paid actor.

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Robert Sr, who died in 2021, did realize that he made ‘a terrible, stupid mistake’ by allowing his son to take drugs at such a vulnerable age. The recent documentary reveals how this was just one of many bad parenting mistakes he did. 

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Shockingly, the director also took his kid along to watch X-rated movies and casted him in his own ‘absurdist’ movies from the age of five, which were not at all kids' friendly. 

Robert Jr says he grew up in a family where everyone was doing drugs.

The most recent netflix documentary reveals other parts of the Iron man's disturbing childhood and explores his relationship with Robert Downey Sr. The series has made Robert's fans emotional for what he went through. The strong and dedicated star did not hesitate to share such sensitive parts of his life with the whole world.

The actor has also admitted to a judge that his father had established his drug addiction, and ensured that he was hooked since just eight years old.

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The documentary got released in the November of 2022, in one of the episodes, Downey Jr says: “I think we would be remiss not to discuss its effect on me.”