Charlie Sheen, the highly decorated star of “Two and a Half Men” and “Spin City,” is out with his new memoir, “The Book of Sheen.” It officially released on September 9. From the perspective of half a century later, the nonfiction book provides an intimate portrait of his world. It focuses on his lifelong fight against stuttering, his war on substance abuse, and the many different interventions of his family. Further, Sheen’s journey will be documented in an upcoming Netflix docuseries named “ AKA Charlie Sheen .”
In interviews, Sheen has admitted that he has struggled with stuttering his entire life. He candidly told us that he self-medicated with alcohol. It turned into his escape route for avoiding the salience of his speech impediment. “Drinking just … it softened the edges,” he stated, highlighting how alcohol allowed him to feel more liberated in social situations. He described, “It just gave me freedom of speech,” highlighting this intricate dynamic between his stutter and drug use.
The actor’s first stint in rehab came at 24. In fact, his father, Martin Sheen, actually conducted the intervention that brought it about. This transformative moment was just the beginning of a long road that led to numerous rehab stints. In the meantime, his loved ones continued to worry deeply for his safety. In the late 1990s, Martin Sheen made another intervention when Charlie Sheen again broke probation, forcing an intervention of another attempt to get him sober.
Through it all, despite his failures and addiction, Sheen made out pretty well in Hollywood. In 2000, he headlined the show “Spin City.” There, he discovered the strength to open up about his experiences with stuttering to his fellow players and peers. That shift in making his struggles public made the whole experience freeing for him. Sheen remarked on the difficulty of seeking help when one’s issues are outwardly visible: “It’s hard to ask for help when somebody else has raised your hand for you.”
Even when he was sober, Sheen continued to suffer from backsliding. During his time on “Two and a Half Men,” he hit bottom and began doing drugs again. He took refuge in prescription pills as he waged this endless war. It hasn’t been a smooth ride on his journey. In 2017, Sheen made a radical move and stopped drinking altogether. He has stayed sober since that day, a point in time he recognizes as the most significant pivot of his life.
Along with confronting the stigma around mental health and addiction, Sheen’s poignant memoir calls for the awareness of a life lived off-screen. It’s apparent that he desires first and foremost to be respected as a novelist and playwright. Through the act of sharing his literary work, he aims to change the narrative of how the public sees him.
Reflecting on his tumultuous story, Sheen acknowledged its complexity: “This story should’ve ended 100 times 20 years ago, and it didn’t. And it didn’t.” His candid reflections serve not only as a narrative of resilience but as a reminder of the importance of vulnerability and asking for help.
“So yeah, when in doubt, just be human enough to be vulnerable, and to know that it’s okay to ask for help.” – Charlie Sheen
