For fans who enjoyed the image of Charlie Sheen as one of the last of Hollywood’s hard-living rebels, reality came crashing down hard when it was revealed last year that the actor suffers from HIV.
Sheen is as famous for his decades of partying and bedding famous women as he is for his acting career, but the diagnosis served as a reminder that the self-proclaimed warlock from Mars is, in fact, quite human.
Sheen has undergone controversial treatments for his condition, often eschewing traditional medical practices, only to return to them when his symptoms worsen.
But that’s not the only way in which Sheen is his own worst enemy when it comes to his health.
One of Sheen’s doctors recently stated that he’s more concerned with the actor’s reliance on self-medication to cope with the stress of the illness than with the illness itself.
It seems the physician is not alone, as Sheen’s famous family is reportedly deeply worried about his heavy drinking and drug use.
Radar Online is reporting today that Sheen is undergoing detox treatment at his father’s Malibu home after nearly dying during a recent bender.
It seems Sheen’s party partner of choice these days is actor Tony Todd, and the two of them have been hitting the bottle non-stop in recent weeks.
Last week, Todd left Los Angeles last week for a gig, and Charlie’s family reportedly leapt at the chance to
“His parents jumped at the opportunity to have Charlie alone,” an insider tells Radar.
“They asked him to come out and do a detox at their house in Malibu. With his friends out of the picture they thought this would be the perfect time.”
Martin Sheen and his wife are said to be sparing no expense and taking no chances in their efforts to sober Charlie up.
The Sheens’ residence is reportedly equipped with “around-the-clock RNs to monitor him and make sure he stays put.”
“They give him vitamins in an IV as well as Valium and a few other drugs so he does not have ‘the shakes’ or a seizure from coming off all these months of alcohol,” says the source.
The insider adds that Sheen’s parents are doing what they can to make the experience as painless as possible for Charlie, saying:
“He’s just binge watching TV shows and sleeping all day and night while his mother cooks him.”
Though it’s early in the process, the source says all involved are hopeful with regard to Sheen’s prospects of staying sober.
“He is doing well,” the insider notes.
“The hope is that this time the treatment will work. He has had friends try this several times over the years — but it has never stuck.”
Our thoughts go out to the Sheenius and his family during this difficult time.