John Stamos Recalls the Harrowing Moment He Knew He Had to 'Straighten Up' amid Alcohol Addiction (Exclusive)

The author of If You Would Have Told Me, out Oct. 24, exclusively tells PEOPLE: "I had to sober up. I was just drinking too much"

John Stamos' journey with alcohol addiction has been a long one, filled with many highs and lows. But there was one particular moment in his trek that pushed him to actually get clean — and stay that way.

In his debut memoir, If You Would Have Told Me, out Oct. 24, the Full House alum details the many low points of his alcohol addiction — and how sobriety has shaped him in the long run.

"I had to sober up. I was just drinking too much," Stamos, 60, exclusively tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. "I just went low. I didn't go high. I just surrounded myself with people I shouldn't have been with."

Related: John Stamos Shares Photos from 'Groovy' 60th Birthday Party Featuring Family and Celebrity Friends

For Stamos, his headline-making DUI in 2015 proved to be a breaking point in his addiction.

"I had that DUI and I was like, 'I can't do this. I've got to straighten up,'" he recalls. "That's when I was confusing the universe because I'm not a bad person, but I was doing crappy things."

Stamos eventually entered rehab, which he admits "was dark for a little bit." But he notes "it started to get better" and later "made a lot of really good friends."

"I had a lot waiting for me, and I feel bad because a lot of people don't, because they burned their lives down," he adds. "Luckily, I had my sisters, but I also had Fuller House. I got home and I think like a week later, we started Fuller House."

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Now, having been sober for some time, the General Hospital alum credits his wife, Caitlin McHugh Stamos, and their 5-year-old son, Billy, for helping to keep him on this path of sobriety and positivity.

"They have kept me on this path because going down the road of being sober and taking care of yourself, everybody tries. Everybody does it. You could get going for a little while. Then, it's like, 'I can drink again,'" he says. "So it's staying on the path is what they mostly do for me."

Related: John Stamos Says He 'Never Could Have Been a Father' Before Getting Sober

For more on John Stamos, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday, or subscribe here. 

As for whether he's experienced any setbacks over the years, Stamos says he's "been pretty good."

"It's hard, but it's not because it's hard for a lot of people," he explains. "It's not that hard for me because it's still so fresh in my mind that all I have to do is look at that picture of me in handcuffs on that street."

"I was sitting on a curb or whatever. It just makes me throw up right now just thinking [about it]," he adds. "Never again."

If You Would Have Told Me is available for pre-order ahead of its release on Oct. 24.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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