When did Charlie Sheen get sober? Actor reveals alcohol helped with stutter during his career

Actor Charlie Sheen has revealed that alcohol helped prevent him from stuttering. In a recent interview with Good Morning America, Sheen weighed in on years of alcohol and drug addiction, sharing that "drinking just … it softened the edges. It gave me just freedom of speech." In his new memoir, The Book of Sheen, he wrote that not being able to "say certain words or sounds" was one of the main reasons he learned to drink.

Charlie, who is well known for his role as Charlie Harper in CBS's sitcom Two and a Half Men, was fired from the show in March 2011 after making several derogatory remarks about Chuck Lorre, the series creator, in several interviews. According to Fox News, he was also struggling with drug and alcohol issues at the time.

After taking a hiatus from the industry following his firing, he decided to get sober. In an interview with People Magazine, published in 2023, the actor explained that he "loved" drinking in the morning, adding "some scotch in the coffee." However, he decided to get sober in 2017 when he forgot his daughter had an appointment, when "I'd promised to drive her to, and I'd already had a couple of pops that day."

So instead of driving her, he had to call his friend Tony to take them. He explained that although they arrived on time, it "broke" his heart to see his daughter wondering "Why isn't dad driving?." That was the moment when he decided to quit.

"So I got home and sat with that for the rest of the day. And the next morning I just stopped," he said.

He further explained that during the first month of quitting, he told himself he'd give it a try, just to see if he felt better and if his interactions with those closest to him would improve. They eventually did, and he decided to continue for another month, gradually building momentum.

"There was just instant evidence that this was the side I needed to be on. I couldn't be in denial about it anymore," he added.

During the interview, he also opened up about having a "consistent lifestyle" and said he was focused on raising his twin boys, Max and Bob, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Brooke Mueller.

"Now I wake up early, around 4:30 or 5 a.m., get an early jump on the news, work out, answer emails. Then I get the kids up and help them with their morning routine — if you can call it a routine," Charlie said.

He also reiterated in the aforementioned interview with Good Morning America that he has remained sober since.

"Oh, that's a problem": Charlie Sheen opens up about his stutter

In the aforementioned interview with Good Morning America, Charlie Sheen explained that he wasn't vocal about his stutter until he landed a role on the sitcom Spin City in 2000.

He explained that opening up about his stutter to the public felt liberating, adding:

"When I got the first script for 'Spin' and I was going through it, I was like, 'Oh, that's a problem. That's gonna be a problem. I can't say that,' So yeah, when in doubt, just be human enough to be vulnerable, and to know that it's okay to ask for help."

Being heavily addicted to drugs during the 1990s, Charlie eventually got sober; however, he began using prescription pills again while starring in Two and a Half Men.

The Book of Sheen was published on September 9, 2025. Meanwhile, his Netflix docuseries, AKA Charlie Sheen, is set to release on September 10.