John Stamos was charged with DUI in 2015 after a longtime battle with alcoholism, which he revealed in 2002. Ironically, his DUI experience only worsened his addiction before he went into rehab. “I came home from the hospital that night, I sat down, I drank a bottle of wine just to forget what just happened,” he told People.
He added that he “never sobered up” regardless of the occurrence and the ensuing hospital stay. “When you sober up, you have to look at the ugly truth, so you keep drinking,” he continued. He gave details about his drinking habit in his debut memoir If You Would Have Told Me So.
John met his rock bottom while filming a movie sequel
Shortly after getting charged for driving drunk in Beverly Hills, California, John began filming the sequel to My Big Fat Greek Wedding — a phase he referred to as his “bottom.” “So I was kind of just loosely buzzed through the shooting of that movie,” he said.
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A few weeks after filming, his sisters encouraged him to fix the situation by going into rehab, which he says was “dark for a little bit.” “I didn’t get it, and I just numbed myself for a few weeks after that. And when I came home, my sisters were, like, ‘OK, it’s time to go, we found this place.’ And I’m like, ‘OK, I’m ready,’” he recalled on Mayim Bialik’s podcast.
He sought solace in drinking
The actor said recalling the incident made him “sick to his stomach” because he “could have killed somebody.” “It was just gross where I’d gotten to, where I threw all my family values, morals, and beliefs that I’d had for so many years right out the window,” he added.
John revealed in his memoir that his ritual of “drinking a bottle of wine every performance” began as a boost of “liquid courage” while working on Cabaret. He also credited his sobriety journey at the Alcoholics Anonymous treatment program in Utah for playing a big part in his “fairytale ending.”
“If I didn’t sober up, I would not have a family. I would not have a son. I would not have a wife. I don’t even know if I’d be alive,” he told USA TODAY.