The Tragic Truth Behind Charlie Sheen's Alcohol Addiction

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Charlie Sheen became a household name thanks to roles in iconic shows like "Spin City" and "Two and a Half Men," but his reputation was built on way more than his acting accolades. Sheen's disturbing behavior over the years has put him in the news for all kinds of wrong reasons, many of which were tied to his drug and alcohol addiction. In his September 2025 memoir, "The Book of Sheen," the former leading man revealed that his struggles with alcohol began because of a stutter.

The speech disorder, which prevented him from properly pronouncing certain words and sounds, chiseled away at his self-esteem. "It's one of the main reasons I learned to drink like I did," he wrote. "The magic juice would hit bottom, warm away the clench and shackles, and give that f*cker the night off." Alcohol helped by making him less self-conscious about his speech. "It softened the edges," he said on "Good Morning America" in September. "It gave me just freedom of speech."

While he had never publicly disclosed his stutter, Sheen had stopped hiding from colleagues when he joined "Spin City" in 2000. He knew he wasn't going to be able to read the script as it was, so he came clean. "When in doubt, just be human to be vulnerable, and to know it's okay to ask for help," he told Michael Strahan. But alcohol caused him more trouble than a stutter ever could. Sheen's addiction has caused him trouble with the law, ended marriages, and nearly cost him his life.

Charlie Sheen tried to give up alcohol at different times in his life. He went to rehab for the first time in 1990, but that was just the beginning of his fight against addiction. In 1998, he nearly died after overdosing on cocaine. "We are in the stages, right now, of recovery. It is my hope that he will accept recovery and become free," his father, Martin Sheen, said in a statement (via CBS News). None of that was enough to make him stop. But something did work, eventually.

His daughter, Sami Sheen, is the real reason the younger Sheen no longer drinks alcohol. It took until 2017, but he realized he was failing his loved ones. "One morning I'd forgotten my daughter had an appointment I'd promised to drive her to, and I'd already had a couple of pops that day," he told People in 2023. Charlie, who also shares a daughter named Lola with ex Denise Richards, could see the confusion on his kid's face when he had to get a friend to drive her. "It broke my heart," he said.

Despite his family's efforts, Charlie had previously lacked the motivation to stop. He believes sobriety isn't something that can be forced on someone, which explains why his previous stints at rehab were unsuccessful. "I didn't get sober for me; I got sober for them," he wrote in "The Book of Sheen." The initiative had to come from him. Thankfully, his teenage daughter inspired Charlie to turn his life around. 

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).