(Dr. Oz Show)
Charlie Sheen revealed on Monday’s “Dr. Oz Show” that he had been sober for 11 years prior to his HIV diagnosis, but contracting the disease caused him to fall off the wagon. See a clip from the actor’s interview below.
As Gossip Cop reported, Sheen made the shocking announcement on the “Today” show last November that he had been diagnosed with HIV in late 2011. As we also noted, Sheen told RadarOnline in late December that he hadn’t done drugs in four months and hadn’t drank alcohol in four weeks.
On Monday, Sheen confirmed to Dr. Mehmet Oz that his sobriety is still going strong and he’s currently clean from drugs and alcohol. The actor said he officially decided to change his life following the “flight back from New York,” directly after his “Today” appearance. “The geography of it was very symbolic,” Sheen explained. “I was leaving something behind and starting a new journey.”
The actor went on to admit, with exaggeration, that he has attempted to get sober “about 2,000” times throughout his life. He added, “There was a stretch where I didn’t drink for 11 years. No cocaine, no booze for 11 years. So I know that I have that in me.”
But Sheen said he fell off the wagon four years ago “to suffocate the anxiety and what my life was going to become with [HIV].” Though he thought using drugs and alcohol would ease his inner turmoil, Sheen acknowledged, “It only made it worse.”
Now, the actor is committed to staying strong. He told Dr. Oz, “This disease chose the wrong person.” Sheen said he’s dedicated to both raising awareness about HIV, as well as working to help find a cure. And when asked to describe his old self and how he is now in just three words, Sheen said he used to be “hammered, fractured, [and] crazy,” and now is “focused, sober, [and] hopeful.” Watch a clip from Sheen’s interview on the “Dr. Oz Show” below.
