Martin Sheen: I Became a "Fanatic" Over Charlie's Drug Use

• May 28, 2008 03:50 AM ET
• by TV Guide News

In an upcoming magazine interview, Martin Sheen opens up about his son Charlie Sheen's drug addiction and how he intervened to help him. The elder Sheen says he became a "fanatic" in his efforts to help his son, explaining, "Nothing ever gets done unless it's done by a fanatic."

Sheen also details how he learned the specifics of Charlie's abuse, divulging that it was only when he went to pay the hospital bill that he learned the extent of things, says MSNBC. "In paying the bill, I got to see why he was in there. He'd consumed an illegal substance; he was on probation.... This was a criminal matter. And so that was the wedge; that was the leverage I had. That is what I took to the court.... It was the only way I got him."

Martin Sheen has also suffered from alcoholism and turned to Alcoholics Anonymous to help Charlie, who currently stars in CBS' Two and a Half Men. He said, "I only got involved with AA when I was trying desperately to find a way to help Charlie, because I didn't have any skills." The details of the father-son relationship sound tough enough to go through, much less rehash it publicly. For more of the interview, track down a July/August issue of AARP magazine. - Anna Dimond


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