Culture March 25, 2022

'Full House' alum Dave Coulier opens up about sobriety

WATCH: 'Full House' star Dave Coulier gets candid about struggle with alcohol

"Full House" alum Dave Coulier is opening up about how he cut alcohol out of his life.

"I was kind of the sad clown," the 62-year-old actor exclusively told "Good Morning America" on Friday. "I had to really take an inner look at myself to see, OK, this is something that I need to change."

Coulier shared a lengthy Instagram post the day prior in which he said, "I was a drunk. Yes. An alcoholic." He followed that up by sharing he's been sober since Jan. 1, 2020.

The comedian told "GMA" that admitting he was an alcoholic was "hard" because "that was something that I thought other people were," but he realized his drinking was "very, very thinly disguised as 'let's have a great time.'"

"I'm having the best time of my life. I feel healthier than I ever have," he said of how he feels today. "You have to feel like you want to change and improve your life and let it come from the inside outward."

Coulier's Instagram post included a photo of an injury he sustained to his face while he was drinking.

"When I drank, I was the life of the party. I could make people laugh until they fell down. In this picture I was the one who fell down," he recounted. "Not because I was playing hockey or doing the things I love - like chopping wood or doing construction, golfing, fishing or flying airplanes. I was hammered and fell up some stairs made of stone."

Coulier told "GMA" this photo signified the final straw that led to his decision to give up alcohol for good.

"That was pretty much it," he said. "My wife was out of town, so I had to send her that picture and she started crying. And at that point I realized, wow, I need to fix this."

Coulier said he loved having "beers with the boys" but eventually came to the realization that, as he put it in the Instagram caption, "I loved booze, but it didn't love me back."

"I decided to make a decision for my own well-being, my family and for those around me who I love so dearly," he said.

Coulier called out his wife of nearly eight years, Melissa, specifically for supporting his sobriety and staying by his side throughout the journey.

"The psychological and physical transformation has been amazing," he concluded. "The sky is more blue, my heart is no longer closed, and I enjoy making people laugh until they fall down more than ever before."

Melissa, who married the comedian in July 2014, replied in the comments section, "SO proud of you. I love you and your strength so much!!"