Dick Van Dyke, beloved for his role in Mary Poppins, has just celebrated his 100th birthday — and fans everywhere want to know his secret. Turns out, it isn’t complicated at all.
“I smoked a lot, actually! I think I was probably in my 50s before it dawned on me that I had an addictive personality,” Van Dyke shared, according to Unilad.
He admitted his personality made it hard to do anything in moderation. “If I liked something, I was going to overdo it,” he said. “So I got rid of booze and cigarettes and all that stuff, which is probably why I’m still here.”
In 1972, Van Dyke checked himself into a hospital for alcoholism and got sober — though quitting smoking, he later revealed, was even harder. “It was much worse than the alcohol,” he said.
But according to Van Dyke, staying away from vices isn’t the whole story. He credits one other trait entirely.
“I’ve always thought that anger is one thing that eats up a person’s insides – and hate. And I never really was able to work up a feeling of hate. I think that is one of the chief things that kept me going,” he shared.
No cigarettes, no alcohol, and apparently, no room for hate — sometimes the simplest advice really is the best advice. 
He checked himself into a hospital in 1972. It ended up being the reason he’s still here 50 years later. 🎂
