David Cassidy: ‘I am an alcoholic’

The former teen idol says his latest arrest has been a "wake-up call"
David Cassidy says he will die if he has another drink
He tells Piers Morgan that he has been lying to himself

(CNN) -- Pop icon David Cassidy, in rehab after his latest DUI arrest, says if he ever takes another drink, it could be fatal.

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Cassidy admitted that his latest drunken driving arrest was a wake-up call.

"If I take another drink, I'm going to die, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I'm dead," Cassidy, 63, said. "You know, they say it's a slippery slope. ... It's not a slippery slope. It's from 12:00 to 6:00 on the clock and the whole face is ice. One sip, one drink, because there is no such a thing, not to an alcoholic. You have one and you're -- you're done. I'd be done."

Cassidy said it was time to stop being in denial and be honest with himself.

Former "Partridge Family" star David Cassidy was ordered to three months of rehab on March 24, after pleading no contest to a DUI charge from January 2014. It was his second DUI arrest in six months and third since 2011. Here are some other stars who have struggled with substance abuse issues:

The death of Philip Seymour Hoffman and his problems with substance abuse are a reminder that such struggles are not unusual in the movie business.

"Desperate Housewives" actor Shawn Pyfrom wrote about his own struggle with drugs following Hoffman's death. The young actor says in an online letter that he "wasted the time of valuable people, who worked so hard to pull my career to a higher place, by allowing my addictions to tug me out of their grip."

Justin Bieber was booked into a Miami jail after failing a sobriety test early Thursday, January 23. According to Miami Beach Police Chief Raymond Martinez, during his arrest, Bieber "made some statements that he had consumed some alcohol, and that he had been smoking marijuana and consumed some prescription medication," before getting behind the wheel of a yellow Lamborghini.

Country singer Trace Adkins suffered "a setback in his battle with alcoholism" and has entered a rehab facility for help, his representative told CNN on January 16.

In a December interview with "Access Hollywood," Demi Lovato went into detail about her dependence on drugs and alcohol. There was a time when Lovato "couldn't go 30 minutes to an hour without cocaine, and I would bring it on airplanes," she said. "I would smuggle it, basically, and just wait until everyone in first class would go to sleep, and I would do it right there." According to Lovato, her rock bottom came at 19, when she filled a soda bottle with vodka to drink at 9 a.m. "I had a moment where I was like, 'Oh, my God ... that is alcoholic behavior," she said.

Lady Gaga revealed on the Elvis Duran radio show in November 2013 that she's been quietly dealing with an addiction to marijuana. "I had to stop (smoking pot)," the Mother Monster said. "I was addicted to it. ... Although I think it's the best drug to choose from when you're playing around and experimenting, I just want young kids to know that you actually can become addicted to it, and it's ultimately ... a form of self-medication. I was smoking 15 to 20 marijuana cigarettes a day with no tobacco."

Elizabeth Vargas admitted having a problem with alcohol and entered a treatment program.

Jada Pinkett-Smith reflected on her Facebook page in September 2013 that addictions plagued her in her younger years. "I had many addictions, of several kinds, to deal with my life issues," she said.

Country star Tim McGraw said in an interview in 2013 that he replaced drinking whiskey with working out to clean his life up.

"Glee" star Cory Monteith was found dead at a hotel in Vancouver on July 13, 2013. Officials gave the cause as "mixed drug toxicity, involving intravenous heroin use combined with the ingestion of alcohol." Monteith had been public about his struggle with addiction and checked into a rehab facility in late March. He told Parade magazine that he started using drugs at 13 and had entered rehab by 19.

Matthew Perry has struggled with an addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol and landed on the cover of People magazine to discuss his road to sobriety. While he was on "Friends," he said, "it would seem like I had it all. It was actually a very lonely time for me, because I was suffering from alcoholism."

"Sex and the City" actress Kristin Davis told Health magazine in 2008 that unlike her cocktail-loving character Charlotte York, she is a recovering alcoholic. The 48-year-old admitted that she was drinking so much, she didn't think she'd live past 30.

Ben Affleck surprised friends when he checked into rehab for alcohol abuse in 2001, People magazine reported.

Jamie Lee Curtis has reportedly said she was once so addicted to prescription pain medicine that she stole some from a relative to help feed the addiction.

Jodie Sweetin, who played innocent Stephanie Tanner on "Full House," documented her drug problems in her memoir "unSweetined." A low point, she said, was using cocaine, meth and ecstasy while on tour to discuss her sobriety.

There have been questions as to whether Bob Dylan was telling the truth when he reportedly told a journalist in 1966 that he had kicked a $25-a-day heroin habit, but, according to Rolling Stone, he had a period during his 1966 tour where he used "huge amounts" of amphetamines.

In 2012, Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie told Oprah that her drug use proceeded from ecstasy to crystal meth. She became so paranoid she thought the FBI and SWAT teams were following her before she sought treatment.

She was known for her wholesome role as Laura Ingalls on the television series "Little House on the Prairie," but at her worst Melissa Gilbert was covering up feelings of sadness by drinking up to more than two bottles of wine a night, the actress told More magazine.

"Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe told GQ magazine that he had his last drink in 2010. "There were a few years there when I was just so enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person's lifestyle that really isn't suited to me."

Kristen Johnston talked about her addiction to drugs and alcohol in her 2012 memoir "Guts" and admitted she was depressed during her time on "3rd Rock From the Sun." "And you're not supposed to be," she said. "You can't tell anybody, 'I'm so bummed you gave me an Emmy.' You can't be sad when you're being celebrated. So it was a big conflict and there's no shrink that can understand it."

Samuel L. Jackson was reportedly able to portray crack addict Gator in "Jungle Fever" so authentically because of his own struggles with drugs and alcohol. He landed the breakout role two weeks after leaving rehab.

Actress Kelly Preston, right, has said she gave up drugs and alcohol to be a better mother to her kids and better wife to John Travolta. "I don't drink anymore. I don't smoke anymore. I don't do drugs anymore. All of those come with an 'anymore.' I used to do everything and a lot of everything," she said.

Jane Lynch wrote about her addictions to alcohol and cough syrup in her memoir "Happy Accidents." She told Access Hollywood in 2013 that she has been sober for 21 years.

Sir Elton John told USA Today that he swore off drugs and alcohol in 1990. He said, "If I ever find myself in a situation where there are drugs, I can smell the cocaine. I can feel it in the back of my throat, that horrible feeling of taking the first hit of cocaine. And I leave."

For those who may not remember because she has so completely turned herself around, Drew Barrymore entered rehab at the tender age of 13. Most fans were unaware that the then beloved child star partied so hard. She chronicled her early struggles in her memoir "Little Girl Lost."

It was years after Meredith Baxter portrayed one of America's favorite moms, Elyse Keaton on "Family Ties," that she revealed that she is a recovering alcoholic.

Backstreet Boys member A.J. McLean last checked into rehab in 2011. He had previously been treated for depression, anxiety and excessive alcohol consumption.

Country star and "American Idol" judge Keith Urban told Oprah in 2010 that his wife Nicole Kidman and several close friends staged an intervention to help him overcome his addiction to cocaine and alcohol.

In 2004, a then 19-year-old Kelly Osbourne reportedly entered rehab for an addiction to painkillers. "The amount of pills that was found in her bag was astounding," her father, Ozzy, said.

Celebrity substance abuse confessions

TV's Judge Joe Brown was jailed on a contempt of court charge issued by a Tennessee juvenile judge on Monday, March 24, according to a court spokesman. He was later released on his own recognizance, CNN affiliate WMC-TV in Memphis, Tennessee, reported. Brown was in court to represent a client in a child-support case and allegedly became upset when he was told the case was not on the afternoon docket.

"The Partridge Family" star David Cassidy was ordered to three months of rehab on March 24, after pleading no contest to a DUI charge from January 2014. It was his second DUI arrest in six months and third since 2011.

Tyler, the Creator was charged with a misdemeanor on March 15. The rapper is accused of inciting a riot at the 2014 SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

Justin Bieber was charged with drunken driving, resisting arrest and driving without a valid license after police saw the pop star street racing in a yellow Lamborghini in Miami on January 23. "What the f*** did I do?" he asked the officer. "Why did you stop me?" He was booked into a Miami jail after failing a sobriety test.

Singer Bruno Mars was arrested on September 19, 2010, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on a drug charge. He later accepted a "deferred adjudication" deal in 2011.

Young Jeezy, real name Jay Wayne Jenkins, was arrested January 21 in Alpharetta, a suburb of Atlanta, and charged with obstruction of a law enforcement officer. It was his second arrest in a month.

Rapper DMX was arrested in South Carolina and held for three hours on Monday, November 3, 2013 before posting bond on charges of driving with a suspended license and having no car tag or insurance, according to the Spartanburg County Detention Center website. DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, has been arrested three times in the state since July.

Dina Lohan, the mother of actress Lindsay Lohan, was arrested September 12, 2013 in New York on two DWI charges. New York State Police said a breath test showed her blood alcohol concentration to be more than twice the legal limit.

Actor Thomas Guiry is charged with felony assault, accused of head-butting a police officer in an incident on August 3, 2013, at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

Singer-actress Pia Zadora was charged with domestic violence battery and coercion for allegedly scratching her 16-year-old son's ear as she tried to take his cell phone when he dialed 911 on June 1, 2013, according to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police report.

Actress Amanda Bynes was arrested again May 23, 2013 in New York after she allegedly tossed drug paraphernalia out the window of her Manhattan apartment. The actress previously had been booked for suspicion of driving under the influence in Hollywood, California, on April 6, 2012, after she got into a fender bender with a marked police car. She later tweeted President Barack Obama and asked him to fire the cop who made the arrest. The California arrest is the source of this mug shot.

Actor Edward Furlong was arrested again on May 17, 2013 after allegedly violating a protective order filed against him by an ex-girlfriend. Furlong is seen here in a police booking photo after his arrest for alleged domestic violence, the arrest which resulted in the protective order, on January 13, 2013 in Los Angeles.

Actress Reese Witherspoon and husband Jim Toth were arrested early April 19, 2013 in Atlanta after Toth was pulled over for suspected drunken driving with Witherspoon in the car, the Georgia State Patrol said.

Country music star Billy Currington has been indicted on charges of terroristic threats and abuse of an elderly person on April 15, 2013 in his native state of Georgia.

Rapper Gucci Mane turned himself in to authorities on March 26, 2013 after a warrant was issued for his arrest on aggravated assault charges in Atlanta.

Lindsay Lohan poses for a mug shot on March 20, 2013 after accepting 90 days in a "locked in" drug rehab facility for misdemeanor charges. This was not her first brush with the law. The laundry list includes a 2011 arrest for violating her probation for a 2007 drunken driving conviction.

Stanley Kirk Burrell, aka MC Hammer, was arrested February 21, 2013 in Dublin, California, for allegedly obstructing an officer.

Actor Stephen Baldwin was arrested December 6, 2012, on a charge of failing to file New York state personal income tax returns for three years, according to a statement released by the Rockland County district attorney's office.

William J. Drayton, 53, also known as Flavor Flav, was arrested October 17, 2012, in Las Vegas and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and battery in a case involving his fiancee of eight years, police said.

Border Patrol agents in Texas arrested singer Fiona Apple in 2012, saying they found marijuana and hashish on her tour bus.

Musician Randy Travis was arrested in 2012 for misdemeanor DWI and felony retaliation after he was involved in a one-vehicle accident and found buck naked in the roadway. He was later released on bond.

Funny-man Russell Brand landed himself in the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office in 2012 when he snatched a photographer's iPhone and threw it at a window. Brand was free on bond after turning himself in to New Orleans police.

Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, 26, was charged with vandalism and public intoxication in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 16, 2012.

"Gossip Girl" star Chase Crawford was arrested in June 2010 in Austin, Texas, and charged with possession of marijuana. He was charged with a misdemeanor because he had less than 2 ounces, according to a police report.

Bad boy actor Charlie Sheen is no stranger to Hollywood scandal. He posed for this mug after a 2009 arrest related to a domestic violence dispute.

Wayne "Lil Wayne" Carter was booked on drug charges in Arizona in 2008 and sentenced to a year in prison.

Nicole Richie was sentenced to four days in jail for DUI in August 2007. She spent 82 minutes in custody.

In 2007, Kiefer Sutherland got this mug shot after surrendering to serve a 48-day sentence for his third DUI arrest.

This mug was snapped after Mel Gibson, now notorious for getting himself into trouble, was arrested and charged with drunk driving in 2006.

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter was arrested for drunken driving after failing a field sobriety test in 2005.

Singer James Brown was arrested in Aiken, South Carolina, on January 28, 2004, and charged with Criminal Domestic Violence.

The Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Sheriff's office took this mug shot of the famous "Home Alone" star Macaulay Culkin in 2004 after they found marijuana, Xanax and sleeping pills in his possession. He was briefly jailed before being released on bond.

Country singer Glen Campbell was arrested in Phoenix on November 25, 2003, on drunken driving and hit-and-run charges. According to Arizona police, the 67-year-old performer hit another car and left the scene. He was later picked up at his home where he smelled of booze and kneed a sergeant in the thigh. Seen Campbell poses for his mugshot in 2004 after checking into a Phoenix lockup to serve his first of 10 nights in jail. He pleaded guilty to the charges.

Actor Nick Nolte was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol on September 11, 2002. A California Highway Patrol officer saw the actor's car swerving across the highway. Nolte was described as "drooling" and "droopy-eyed."

Robert Downey Jr.'s drug problems are almost as famous as his talent. He served time in the late 1990s on a drug conviction, was arrested in November 2000 for drug possession, and was busted again in April 2001 in Culver City, California.

Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, was booked on gun charges twice in June 2000. Police said both arrests stemmed from fights -- the first over his estranged wife, Kim, and the second against rival rap group Insane Clown Posse.

Rapper Jay-Z was arrested in 1999 for allegedly stabbing a record executive in a New York night club. He pleaded guilty in 2001 and was sentenced to three years' probation.

Matthew McConaughey was arrested in Austin, Texas, in 1999 after police allegedly found him dancing naked and playing bongo drums in his house. He paid a $50 fine for disturbing his neighbors with the show.

Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent, posed for this mug in 1994 when he was arrested at 19 for allegedly dealing heroin and crack cocaine.

Jane Fonda was arrested in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1970 after a scuffle with police in the airport. U.S. Customs agents allegedly found a large quantity of pills in her possession.

Celebrity mugshots: Judge Joe Brown

Celeb mugshots: David Cassidy

Celebrity mugshots: Tyler, the Creator

Celebrity mugshots: Justin Bieber

Celeb mugshots: Bruno Mars

Celebrity mugshots: Young Jeezy

Celeb mugshots: Dina Lohan

Celeb mugshots: Thomas Guiry

Celeb mugshots: Pia Zadora

Celeb mugshots: Amanda Bynes

Celeb mugshots: Edward Furlong

Celeb mugshots: Reese Witherspoon

Celeb mugshots: Billy Currington

Celeb mugshots: Gucci Mane

Celeb mugshots: LIndsay Lohan

Celeb mugshots: MC Hammer

Celeb mugshots: Stephen Baldwin

Celeb mugshots: Flavor Flav

Celeb mugshots: Fiona Apple

Celeb mugshots: Randy Travis

Celeb mugshots: Russell Brand

Celeb mugshots: Shaun White

Celeb mugshots: Chase Crawford

Celeb mugshots: Charlie Sheen

Celeb mugshots: Lil Wayne

Celeb mugshots: Nicole Richie

Celeb mugshots: Kiefer Sutherland

Celeb mugshots: Mel Gibson

Celeb mugshots: Nick Carter

Celeb mugshots: James Brown

Celeb mugshots: Macaulay Culkin

Celeb mugshots: Glen Campbell

Celeb mugshots: Nick Nolte

Celeb mugshots: Robert Downey Jr.

Celeb mugshots: Matthew McConaughey

Celeb mugshots: Jane Fonda

Photos: Celebrity mugshots

"It's very painful, especially when I spent most of my life being what I would consider a very loving, caring charitable man and someone who has always protected my own image until the time, not wanting to disappoint the millions of fans that I have around the world. And, and it's very humbling and it's also humiliating."

Cassidy checked into rehab in South Florida after being arrested on a DUI charge on January 10 in Los Angeles after stopping for a drink on his way to the airport. He pleaded no contest and received a sentence of five years' probation and 90 days in rehab, although his manager said he will be credited for the time he has already spent in residential treatment

That incident followed DUI arrests in August 2013 in Schodack, New York, (that case is still pending) and one in St. Lucie County, Florida, in November 2010 for which he received a sentence of a year's probation and had his license suspended for six months. The singer also received community service and a fine in that case.

His interview with Morgan was the first time Cassidy had publicly talked about his struggle to stay sober.

"I am most definitely an alcoholic," Cassidy said. "And the interesting thing about it and the way you end up with multiple DUIs -- I never got arrested for anything until I was basically 60 years old. And I have very, very strong values about what I am and who I am.

"I've done an enormous amount of bringing light into people's lives, and I'm very proud of that and touching and inspiring people."

He admitted that until his latest arrest, "I had been lying to myself and consequently lying to everyone else about my disease."

Cassidy came to fame with his role as Keith Partridge in the hit '70s TV show "The Partridge Family," and toured the world singing his hit songs. At the time, his fan club was bigger than Elvis and The Beatles and he continues to perform around the country.

The drinking began in 2002, he said, and then got worse over time. This is Cassidy's third stint in rehab.

"I certainly never drank or took any drugs or narcotics, contrary to whatever has been printed, when I was doing 'The Partridge Family' or thereafter for that matter," he said.

In recent months, the former teen idol acknowledged that he was on a downward spiral.

In addition to the most recent arrest, his third wife filed for divorce. Asked how she would react to how the drinking affected his behavior, he told Morgan, "She'd just say it made me an ass. ... you know it made me a fricking d**k. And you know, I wasn't ... authentic, OK. It's because I have an allergy to it. My personality changes I'm not aware of it. I never stop talking, you know. ... it's obnoxious. It's embarrassing."

Despite all his recent setbacks, Cassidy said he had recently had a life-altering "spiritual experience."

"I dropped to my knees and I felt something go through me that was like, I felt this experience that was just, thank you God. I felt this relief. I begged it and I was crying and weeping like a little boy, like a, like a sobbing little infant, like I'm sure I did many times as a kid. And I felt this incredible sense of relief because I stopped lying to myself," he said.

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