Dr. Drew: Charlie Sheen is β€œNot a Cartoon Character Bad Boy”

With the world watching Charlie Sheen's downfall, Dr. Drew Pinsky has some advice for the actor on picking his life back up.

The star therapist of VH1's "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" is optimistic about the "Two and a Half Men" actor's addiction recovery in an interview with People magazine.

"Let's all be hopeful he's going in the right direction," the doc said. "Charlie's been in recovery before. He's actually been an active recovering person, so he knows what it is."

On Sunday Sheen's manager said the 45-year-old actor had checked into rehab after one of his serial party and drug binges sent him to the hospital with severe abdominal pains the previous Thursday.

Dr. Drew advised that if Sheen wants any hope of permanent recovery, he'll need to put any ego aside and face the facts.

Repeat rehabbers "need a long term of structure for them to capitulate and take direction and not think they know better or know what they need to do," Dr. Drew told People.

But don't judge the guy. Although it may seem like it in the tabloids, his life isn't a sitcom.

Sheen "is not a cartoon character bad boy," the doctor said. "This is somebody with some character [and] logical flaws that make him like to be a bad boy but… [he] has a life threatening illness."

The Golden Globe-winning actor has been plagued with drug addictions and domestic-violence accusations for a few years now, but his troubles really reached a low point when he trashed a posh New York hotel and was rushed to the hospital after partying with a porn star on Oct. 26.

His show, "Two and a Half Men", is on hiatus as he recovers.

Selected Reading: People,

Contact Us