Since welcoming son Lucian Augustus with wife Danielle last year, Wes Cagehas been soaking up every moment with his new family.
It’s a stark contrast from the dramatic headlines that used to follow Nicolas Cage‘s elder son — a bloody fight with his former trainer, a messy split from exNikki Williams — and one that he welcomes wholeheartedly after a tough battle with Substance abuse.
“It got to the point where people thought I was Digging my grave,” he tells PEOPLE exclusively about his journey to sobriety. “Lucian’s saved both of our lives, and we are very blessed to have him. It’s just a very joyous time right now.”
Drinking multiple cases of beer, a box of wine, hard liquor and taking pills throughout a single day at his lowest point, Cage, 24, quit alcohol cold turkey after landing in the hospital in 2024 after suffering from a severe withdrawal.
PAMELA LITTKY
At the time, his first marriage to Williams was ending, and Cage met Danielle, also 24, shortly after through mutual friends.
“When I met him, he was on his way to getting sober,” Danielle tells PEOPLE. “I could see he was trying so hard to make [his marriage] work even though he wasn’t being appreciated.
My first bit of advice to him is you need someone who loves you as much as you love them.”
The new parents — who tied the knot in England in 2024 — now live a low-key life with Lucian, 7 months, in Los Angeles.
“Spending time with both of them is peaceful,” says Danielle. “We can be doing anything, and as long as we’re doing it together, it’s perfect.”
Adds Cage: “I want him to know what real guitar playing is, so I play Spanish music for him. We just spend skin-to-skin contact time and listen to flamenco music … he loves it.”
Cage, who is estranged from his mother Christina Fulton, also keeps in close contact with dad Nicolas, 51.
“Weston is what I call the total artist,” the actor tells PEOPLE. “He can do things I dream about doing … compose music, sing, act, sculpt and **** and now he is a loving father. To see my son with my grandson is as close to a sense of blissful completion I ever had.”
For Cage, the easiest part of staying sober has been wanting to be the best for his family. “Having the combination of Danielle and Lucian and my father in my life, just that trinity right there, basically is going to keep me here,” he says.
PAMELA LITTKY
For more on Cage’s road to sobriety and for exclusive photos of baby Lucian, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.
– Melody Chiu
https://celebritybabies.people.com/2015/02/06/wes-cage-substance-abuse-sober-son-lucian/