Entertainment

Michael J. Fox Opens Up About Struggling With Addiction To Cope With Parkinson’s Diagnosis

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Kevin Harness Contributor
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Actor Michael J. Fox recently revealed his struggles with Parkinson’s Disease and becoming addicted to alcohol and other drugs during his attempts to hide the symptoms of his condition.

In the new documentary titled “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, the “Back To The Future” star discussed how he was diagnosed with the disease at age 29 in 1991 and used alcohol and dopamine pills to cope with it, the Daily Mail reported. (RELATED: Michael J. Fox Opens Up About ‘Darkest Moment’ Since Being Diagnosed With Parkinson’s Disease)

Having starred in shows and films like “Family Ties” and “Back To The Future,” Fox quickly rose to fame but none of that mattered to him when he was diagnosed with the degenerative disease, according to the Daily Mail.

“I was the Prince of Hollywood,” Fox said, according to the New York Post. “You think it’s made of brick and rock. But it’s not. It’s made out of paper and feathers. It’s an illusion.”

The first sign of Fox’s condition was when he began to notice his pinky twitching in 1990. When it would not stop twitching, he went to see a neurologist, who then confirmed that he has Parkinson’s, according to the Daily Mail.

For the next seven years, Fox hid his symptoms in public by consuming dopamine pills “like Halloween Smarties” and holding props whenever on set, USA Today reported.

“Therapeutic value, comfort – none of these were the reason I took these pills. There was only one reason: to hide,” Fox said in the documentary, according to the outlet. “I became a virtuoso of manipulating drug intake so that I’d peak at exactly the right time and place.”

Fox claimed that if it were not for his wife, Tracy Pollan, and his four children, he would have never sobered up, the outlet reported.

The actor has been retired since 2020 and is writing books about his life and helping fund Parkinson’s research through the Michael J. Fox Foundation.