Michael J. Fox’s marriage almost fell apart after his devastating diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease — with The National ENQUIRER first revealing how the “Family Ties” star had turned to Alcoholics Anonymous to save his marriage! Insiders had revealed how his secret health crisis in 1991 had turned Michael into a mean drunk who’d been issued a sobering ultimatum by wife Tracy Pollan: Choose liquor or your family! The determined star began to turn his life around, and later went public with his health struggle in 1998. “I began coming to these meetings when drinking became a problem,” Michael told an insider at a 1999 AA meeting in Studio City, Calif. “They’ve really helped. It’s what I needed.” But it would still be several years before Michael and his wife could discuss the second crisis that nearly ended their marriage.
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The actor realized the extent of his drinking problem after an embarrassing incident in 1998, revealed a close friend. "Michael spent time barhopping and boozing it up either alone or with friends and sometimes he'd get so soused, things would get out of control — like they did last March while he was out hell-raising with pals
Woody Harrelson and
Bruce Willis...Michael and Harrelson put away far too many tequila slammers, and got into a fight which Willis had to break up."
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Photo credit: Mega
"When I came home," Michael told his friend, "Tracy started crying because she knew I was out of control, hurting myself and our relationship." Soon after that, reported the insider, a distraught Tracy hit Michael with her clean up or get out ultimatum. "It was either her and my son Sam — or booze. My family means more to me than anything else in this world, so it wasn't a hard decision to make."
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Photo credit: Mega
Before Michael quit, booze had become a "nightmare" for him, say pals. "It could and often did turn him into a belligerent drunk," recalled his friend. "After a tough day in front of the cameras he'd sit on a bar stool with eight to a dozen beers in front of him and not move until all the bottles were empty."
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Photo credit: Mega
Michael still didn't go public with his addiction until 2013, telling
Howard Stern about how he turned to booze after his devastating diagnosis.
“My first reaction to it was to start drinking heavily," Michael confided. "I used to drink to party but…now I was drinking alone and to just not
be." In 2018, Tracy celebrated 30 years of marriage to Michael, but admitted to
PEOPLE in a 2018 interview: "It was scary because you just don't know how it is going to turn out."
The actor realized the extent of his drinking problem after an embarrassing incident in 1998, revealed a close friend. "Michael spent time barhopping and boozing it up either alone or with friends and sometimes he'd get so soused, things would get out of control — like they did last March while he was out hell-raising with pals
Woody Harrelson and
Bruce Willis...Michael and Harrelson put away far too many tequila slammers, and got into a fight which Willis had to break up."
Photo credit: Getty Images
"When I came home," Michael told his friend, "Tracy started crying because she knew I was out of control, hurting myself and our relationship." Soon after that, reported the insider, a distraught Tracy hit Michael with her clean up or get out ultimatum. "It was either her and my son Sam — or booze. My family means more to me than anything else in this world, so it wasn't a hard decision to make."
Before Michael quit, booze had become a "nightmare" for him, say pals. "It could and often did turn him into a belligerent drunk," recalled his friend. "After a tough day in front of the cameras he'd sit on a bar stool with eight to a dozen beers in front of him and not move until all the bottles were empty."
Michael still didn't go public with his addiction until 2013, telling
Howard Stern about how he turned to booze after his devastating diagnosis.
“My first reaction to it was to start drinking heavily," Michael confided. "I used to drink to party but…now I was drinking alone and to just not
be." In 2018, Tracy celebrated 30 years of marriage to Michael, but admitted to
PEOPLE in a 2018 interview: "It was scary because you just don't know how it is going to turn out."
