Dave Coulier is grateful that he got sober before experiencing some of the hardest personal losses of his life.
The "Full House" star stopped by TODAY With Hoda & Jenna on Tuesday to discuss his new show “Live and Local," and he also opened up about the role sobriety has played in helping him cope with the loss of his father and brother and his friend Bob Saget.
“Thank goodness I was sober during my brother and my dad and Bob, because it really helped me go through a really tough time where I had to be in touch with the rawness of those feelings again," he told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager.
Coulier, 62, said that being sober is a gift for him during these trying times since he is now able to reflect on the good memories he has of his loved ones when he's feeling down.
“My brother and my dad were very funny people,” he explained. “I have this tremendous well and whenever it feels like the well is drying up with sadness, I have so many laughs and so many funny stories between Bob, my dad and my brother that I just kind of pour them back in the well and relive all those wonderful experiences.”
The comedian recently celebrated two years of sobriety, and he said it feels humbling to know that others with similar struggles look up to him.
"If someone can see a little bit of themselves in me then maybe I can help one person," he said.
Coulier also offered some insight into his struggles with alcoholism, and explained why he started drinking at a young age.
"I always equated alcohol with a good time. I'm a child of the '60s and the parents were drinking and everybody was having a great time. So by the time I became a teenager I just said, 'I want to have fun too just like all the parents,'" he said.
But when he noticed that his drinking was affecting his relationships, especially the one he had with his wife, the comedian knew he needed to turn his life around.
"I started to take a deep look at myself and peel away the layers," he said.