He saw his brother die tragically young because of his hedonistic lifestyle.
Now actor Joaquin Phoenix has checked himself into rehab in a bid to win his long battle with the booze.
In a short statement, his publicist said Joaquin moved into a clinic two weeks ago.
She said: "He was uncomfortable with the way he was living his life and found the courage to deal with the disease."
Joaquin recently appeared in Gladiator and The Village, and is due to start in a forthcoming biopic of country singer Johnny Cash.
His brother River, who starred in Stand By Me and My Own Private Idaho, died of a drug overdose outside Johnny Depp's LA nightclub, The Viper Rooms, in October 1993.
Social bookmarking allows you to save and categorise a personal collection of bookmarks and share them with others. This is different to using your own browser bookmarks which are available within your web browser.
Use the links on the left to share this page on the social bookmarking site of your choice.
Read more about social bookmarking at: Wikipedia - Social Bookmarking