Martin Sheen talks about son Charlie’s drug use

Actor Martin Sheen, 67, opened up to AARP The Magazine about his son Charlie’s difficult battle with drugs. Martin shared,

When a life is at stake and it’s your child, you become fearless in a lot of ways. I mean, you just become fanatic. Nothing ever gets done unless it’s done by a fanatic.

The former West Wing actor explained how he got involved with Charlie, 42, to help him regain control of his life.

The only way I got to Charlie, frankly, was because he’d skipped out of the hospital. I had to pay the bill. 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; that’s what I took to the sheriff. It was the only way I got him.

When Martin suffered from alcoholism himself in his past he used his religious faith to help him battle the disease, but when it came to backup support for Charlie, he chose to lean on Alcoholics Anonymous to help.

I got sober through Catholicism, through my faith. 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.

Charlie and his ex-wife Denise Richards have two daughters together: Sam, 4, and Lola Rose, 3 on Sunday. Charlie also has daughter Cassandra Jade, 23. Cassandra’s mom is Paula Profit.

Source: AARP The Magazine July/August Issue via Access Hollywood; Photo by Bauer Griffin