or harmless; it describes consequences that eventually forced him to seek treatment.
The decisive change came in 1992. McCarthy was 29 when he sought professional assistance and underwent treatment for his alcohol problem. He has said that by then he could no longer pretend that the situation was manageable. Instead of continuing to rely on willpower alone, he accepted that he needed help. He subsequently stopped drinking and has publicly described himself as sober since that period. This date is important because simplified retellings sometimes incorrectly imply that his permanent
