John Stamos has a lot to be thankful for. But when it comes to his long road to sobriety, he can thank his wife Caitlin McHugh Stamos and son Billy for keeping him on track.
“They kept me on this path because going down the path of sobriety and self-care, everyone is trying. Everyone is doing it,” Full house alum, 60, speaks exclusively to PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “It might kick in for a while. Then it’s like, ‘I can drink again.’ So staying on track is what they mostly do for me.”
Stamos explores his bumpy journey to sobriety in his upcoming memoir If you had told mewill be released on October 24. And while the road to where he is today has been tough, the actor can safely say he’s been “pretty good” at staying clean.
“It’s hard, but it’s not because it’s hard for a lot of people. It’s not that hard for me because it’s still so fresh in my head that I just have to look at that picture of me in handcuffs on that street,” he says, referring to the 2015 DUI that landed him eventually led to treatment. “I was sitting on the curb or whatever. It just makes me want to throw up just thinking about it [about it]. … Never again.”
John Stamos on how wife Caitlin and son Billy changed his life: ‘My dreams came true’
Stamos, in fact, knew that he had to “straighten out” in order to get someone like Caitlin, whom he married in 2018. Although he is 23 years older than his wife of five years, Emergency the actor says he “learned a lot from her”.
(L-R) Caitlin McHugh Stamos and John Stamos are pictured with their son Billy in 2022.
Instagram of John Stamos
“Being older with someone younger, you go, well, you know everything and they should listen to me. But I always learn something from her,” he shares. “What I love about our household with Billy is that there’s always political talk or charity events. When I was growing up, my mom was really into charity and giving back and stuff, but Caitlin, she had a podcast called, How can I help you? And tomorrow he is going to Tijuana to help children. I just love it in our house and I love Billy seeing it.”
“The other day I was listening to a political book or something. I said, ‘I’ve never cared about this.’ And she said, ‘It’s because of me,'” he continues. “But she makes the house beautiful. And it’s not just a political conversation, it’s a good human conversation.”
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Stamos then notes that he knew Caitlin “would be a good mother,” adding, “That’s a lot to say. She’s as good as my mother was. I mean, when I look at her, the patience, the kindness that she has for him, so is nice. And I’m really trying not to let it go by too fast.”
John Stamos spends time with son Billy, 5, to mark 60th birthday: ‘I’m right where I’m supposed to be’
As for their five-year-old son, Stamos jokingly refers to Billy as a “little s—.”
“He’s so charming and people come up to him and say, ‘Oh, my God, you’re so handsome. You’re so charming,'” he says. “I say, ‘Don’t tell him.’
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Pictured is John Stamos’ memoir, ‘If You Told Me’.
Jeff Lipsky
For more on John Stamos, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday, or subscribe here.
Stamos’ journey with Caitlin and fatherhood is a major part of his story, which will appear in his debut memoir. But it was not easy to get to where he is today.
“I was going to write a heroic story, but as I was doing it, I thought, ‘No, I’m going to tell a human story,'” he explains. “Because with a hero story, that’s bullshit—. And unless I was one hundred percent forthcoming, why am I doing this.”
Memoirs of John Stamos, If you had told me, it is available on October 24 wherever books are sold.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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Source: HIS Education