“Capote” star Philip Seymour Hoffman‘s tragic death on Sunday of an apparent drug overdose has inspired former “Desperate Housewives” actor Shawn Pyfrom to open up about his own struggles with addiction.
Pyfrom, who played Bree Van de Kamp’s son Andrew on the ABC drama, admits that he’s an alcoholic and drug addict in a post on his Tumblr account, saying that he’s admitting his addictions “against the advise [sic] of others.”
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The actor, who said that he’s now five months sober and “relatively new” to sobriety, writes in the post that he made his admission to encourage others to conquer their addictions.
“I even question whether or not i should publish this, as I type out these words. but if these words can encourage someone to hold on to their life… to keep from ever using, or to find the strength to stop; then it’s more important that these words are shared,” Pyfrom wrote. “I’ve considered what’s at stake, for myself, by sharing this – but I find myself without regard for that. i won’t allow my selfish needs to get in the way of potentially reaching another human being’s life.”
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The actor, 26, said that he “lived for drugs” for several years.
“I thought more about using, than I thought about any other ‘pleasures,’” the actor wrote. “I put myself in places i never would have ended up, otherwise, for the sake of getting high. there are countless nights of blacking out, and making poor decisions as a result of my overusing. I wasted the time of valuable people, who worked so hard to pull my career to a higher place, by allowing my addictions to tug me out of their grip. I worried the people that care about me. my friends. my parents. my siblings. all for the sake of something that I believed I had control over. I didn’t even realize how low drugs and alcohol had pulled me.”
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Pyfrom concluded his message by writing that he hopes it gives the reader strength to avoid addiction.
“I hope you can save your life,” Pyfrom wrote.
Hoffman, 46, was found dead in his New York City apartment. The actor, who had a history of addiction, entered a detox program after suffering a relapse last year.