Michael Douglas' parenting regrets

Mar 2, 2010, 6:01 GMT

Michael Douglas admits he could have been a better father to his son Cameron.

The actor - whose son is facing a possible ten years in jail after pleading guilty in January to possession and dealing methamphetamine and cocaine from a Manhattan hotel last July - believes he used to be a selfish parent.

Michael, whose father is screen legend Kirk Douglas, said: "My priorities were very similar to my father's. Career first."

The Hollywood star - who went to rehab for alcohol problems in the early 90s - admits seeing his son fight an addiction is one of the hardest things he has ever had to deal with.

Speaking to Vanity Fair magazine, Michael - who has two other children, Dylan, nine, and six-year-old Carys, with his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones - said: "The history of second-generation actors isn't great in our industry. It's kind of a tragic road, actually. Anybody who has a relative or child in substance abuse has some idea of what this feels like.

"This is one of those worst-case scenarios. It will ultimately be a painful lesson and very expensive as far as time is concerned. I don't wish it on anybody, but then, you know, everybody's got difficult things in life."

Cameron, 31, recently appeared at Manhattan Federal Court to ask to be placed under house arrest and receive outpatient addiction treatment, but had his request turned down.

Judge Richard Berman told the court he didn't think Cameron could be trusted to stay off heroin while on house arrest.

He said: "His living at home is unlikely to prove a powerful deterrent to relapse."

Cameron - whose mother is Michael's ex-wife Diandra Luker - will be sentenced on April 27.