How Sobriety Forced Dave Coulier to ‘Call on That Fire of Faith’
By Movieguide® Contributor
FULL HOUSE star Dave Coulier has been very open about his sobriety journey, encouraging and inspiring others who may be struggling with the same issue.
The actor recently penned a personal essay about about the gift of sobriety for Guideposts.
Coulier spoke about his childhood in Michigan, describing how drinking was normalized there. He also talked about how his early love of entertaining people and making them laugh led him to a career in show business.
“If I saw any pictures of myself at a [FULL HOUSE] afterparty, I looked happy,” Coulier wrote. “The last guy standing. I was the ‘final, final’ guy. Drunk but happy. Making everybody laugh.”
He continued, “When did I cross that line from life-of-the-party drunk to out-of-control alcoholic? When did I see that I was paying a price for this? About five years ago, I started to see the red flags. I wasn’t remembering things. Blacking out, falling.”
Coulier shared that his wife Melissa expressed concerns, but the actor brushed off her comments, saying, “I’ve been doing this my whole life.
“One day, staying at a friend’s house in Arizona—Melissa wasn’t there—I fell during a drunken stupor,” Coulier recalled. “I took a picture of myself, my face a bloody mess. ‘You’re going to have to show Melissa this,’ my friend said, ‘before she sees you.’ I texted it to her, then got her on the phone. I heard her crying. That’s when I knew: I have a problem. A real problem.”
It was then that Coulier decided to get sober.
“I couldn’t have done it without the support of Melissa and friends like Bob [Saget],” he wrote. “I also called on something deeper, a part of me that had almost gone dormant, a faith from within, my spiritual DNA. It was always there, that inner fire—ready to keep me warm, give me light—but I’d almost forgotten. I began throwing logs on that fire, keeping those spiritual flames burning, a blaze that cast far more light than alcohol ever did, a healing, life-renewing light.”
Just when Coulier was getting his sobriety under control, he was hit with a series of devastating blows: the death of his brother, his co-star and friend Saget, and his father.
While many would think this would push Coulier to start drinking again, the actor shared that being sober helped him handle his grief.
“The pain, at times, was unbearable,” he admitted. “[But] drinking would have buried the pain. But it also would have buried the love. That grief, that pain, is the price we pay for love. It drove me to call on that fire of faith more than ever.”
Coulier said that, after these deaths, he “felt this huge opening up, a new perspective, a whole new appreciation for the smallest things in life.”
He continued, “I still love to make people laugh, to connect with audiences I usually don’t know and make them feel something. It’s the most genuine thing I know. I help them feel human, and whether they realize it or not, they make me feel human too.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Coulier’s sobriety journey:
Actor and comedian Dave Coulier, known for classic sitcom FULL HOUSE and its reboot FULLER HOUSE, recently celebrated more than two years of sobriety.
In a post on Instagram, Coulier shared a picture of his face, cut and bruised after falling due to drunkenness.
“I was a drunk. Yes. An alcoholic. I’ve been alcohol free since January 1, 2020,” he shared. “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. 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, going up some stairs made of stone.
“No one loved having ‘beers with the boys’ after playing hockey or a round of golf more than me. I was always the ‘final final’ guy in the room. The 8 hours of drinking, laughter and funny stupidity was followed by two days of feeling like a bowl of dog mess,” he continued. “I loved booze, but it didn’t love me back.”
Coulier credited the support of his wife, Melissa, and other friends for his journey to sobriety.
“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. “The mental and physical withdrawal were big challenges for me, but I was supported by @melissacoulier and friends who had already made the journey. The psychological and physical transformation has been amazing. 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. Thank you, Melissa, for being by my side. I love you.”
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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