Chris Klein: 'Alcoholism Nearly Killed Me'
Actor Chris Klein has a lot to look forward to these days. He stars in the upcoming "American Reunion," the conclusion to the wildly popular "American Pie" series, but Klein has opened up about his dealing with alcoholism and how it nearly killed him.
Klein, 33, became immensely popular with the release of "American Pie" in 1999.
"It was nothing short of magic," he told People. But the popularity took its toll on the young actor who found himself battling alcoholism. "American Pie" spawned two sequels, but Klein continued on a downward spiral.
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He was arrested in 2005 and 2010 for drunk driving and checked himself into the Cirque Lodge treatment facility in Utah for alcoholism. Klein successfully completed the 30-day program and has been sober since then.
"After recent events, Chris was forced to take a clear look at a problem he has been trying to deal with himself for years," his publicist said in 2010. "He understands now that he cannot beat this disease alone."
Now that he has been sober for 19 months, Klein is speaking about his experience in order to help others. He knows how fortunate he was and how close he came to losing everything, including his own life.
"I would have died, and I think about that every day. It got to the point where I was a fragile shadow of the young man that came into this business. Today, I'm the luckiest guy alive," he told People.
Klein famously dated Katie Holmes in 2000, and the couple was even engaged but called off the engagement in 2005. It is believed that the ending of the relationship was a factor in Klein's drinking habits; he was arrested for drunk driving in February, one month before the relationship ended.
He has spoken fondly about the cast of "American Pie" and says that he is "grateful to be a part of it. These movies, to me, personally, are incredibly special. And I cherish my moments in the 'American Pie' franchise," he told the Huffington Post.
