Jul 18, 2008, 11:00 GMT
Gary Oldman entered rehab because his tongue turned green.
07/14/2008 - Gary Oldman - "The Dark Knight" World Premiere - Arrivals - AMC Loews Lincoln Square, 68th Street and Broadway - New York City, NY, USA © Sylvain Gaboury / PR Photos
The 'Dark Knight' star - who was treated for alcoholism at the Marworth treatment facility in Pennsylvania in 1993 - admits it was only the change in his appearance that eventually forced him to seek help.
He said: "My drinking was out of control. My personal life was at a low point and I felt like I was trapped in a whirlpool which was sucking me away.
"One thing that made me go into rehab was a sense of my own mortality. Another was my tongue. I used to wake up and it would be a vile green colour. I finally knew I had to get help to survive so I did something about it."
The 50-year-old actor - who is now teetotal - says he has become a lot less tough on himself as he has grown older.
He added to Parade magazine: "I like to push the envelope a bit. I used to beat myself up. I'd give Gary a hard time saying to myself, 'Well, if this is a good performance, boy did I suffer for it.' I don't do that anymore. Gary doesn't need that anymore."
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