Charlie Sheen HIV: Actor wants to dedicate his life to finding cure for disease

Charlie Sheen and his onscreen persona, Charlie Harper, in Two And A Half Men shared a lot in common – love for alcohol, women and dangerous living. But, the once TV's highest paid actor, now seems to be paying a much bigger price for his hedonistic lifestyle.

In November 2015, Sheen confirmed on the Today Show that he had been diagnosed as HIV positive, an announcement which shocked fans and fellow actors alike. Recently, the actor spoke of his disease in an eye-opening interview with Dr Oz, during which he said that he hoped to spend time finding better treatment for the disease.

"I hope in my abilities to do something really positive with this," he said on the show that aired on 12 January. "I have a responsibility now to better myself and to help a lot of other people," he told the host. "And hopefully with what we're doing today, others may come forward and say, 'Thanks, Charlie. Thanks for kicking the door open'," he added.

The 50-year-old actor stated that he had stopped taking medication for a week to try out an alternative treatment in Mexico. "There's a host of side-effects that are manageable. I was just curious, as I think a lot of people are. You know, you ingest something every day, and you feel a certain way."

Talking about mainstream treatment he said, "I just got curious about what I might feel like off this stuff. And then, if what was being professed, if any part of it was true, then I thought it was worth exploring."

Sheen said he was seeking treatment from a physician in Mexico by the name of Dr Sam Chachoua, who Dr Mehmet Oz pointed out, was not licensed to practice medicine in the US.

Soon after the pre-taped interview aired, his manager Mark Burg told People magazine that the actor was back on his medication. "Charlie is back on his meds. He tried a cure from a doctor in Mexico but the minute the numbers (blood check) went up, he started taking his medicine."

Discussing his diagnosis and his delayed decision to seek treatment on the show, the actor said, "I'm amazed that I'm actually alive. But I beat myself up from time to time about why it took me so long once I knew that I was HIV positive to really start embracing the whole physical package and the whole psychological package about bettering myself."

Sheen had previously revealed that he had unprotected sex with his partners without informing them that he had an STD.