Steve Granitz/WireImage Married... with Childrenalum David Faustino says he was only able to properly mourn his mother, Kay, after he got sober The actor was a guest on Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler's podcast,MesSy, sharing how he was left in a "puddle of my own tears" after her death He shared that his mother had Alzheimer's disease, calling it a "rough way" to die Married…with ChildrenalumDavid Faustinosays he was only able to properly mourn his mother, Kay Freeman, after her death fromAlzheimer's diseasewhen he quit "drinking and drugging." "I rememberKatey [Sagal]pulling me aside one day … I was probably like, I don't know, 15, 16. She goes, 'You know, D, you got a good mom. I mean, you just got a really good mom,' " Faustino, 51, toldformer TV sisterChristina ApplegateandJamie-Lynn Siglerduring an appearance May 20 on their podcastMesSy. "I hear that a lot, and she was. She was a great mom. It was tough when she left," he said. "I'd always been a bit of a, you know, a partier. I've always liked to party and have a good time. But when she died, I went over the f—kng deep end … I was extremely close with her." Phillip Faraone/Getty Images He shared that he "traveled all over the world" with his mother, and "when she when she died, I was a f—king wreck for a while. Not to mention, she also coddled me and did everything for me. So she left me [wondering] 'Now what? Taxes? What are those? Bills?' " Applegate, 53, said that "I love Kay with all of my heart … Kay was something pretty special." TheDead to Mealum said she was close to tears, prompting Faustino to add "you almost got me tearing up, but I haven't cried about my mom in over probably like nine months now." "She went a rough way. I mean, she got Alzheimer's. You know? It's a f—king horrific way for anyone," he said. "Watching someone that's like that become like that is rough. Real rough. But, you know, here we are, and I couldn't mourn it. You know? I mean, it took getting sober." "I didn't know if you wanted to talk about that, D," Applegate interjected. "So I'm glad that you are." "Totally," he confirmed. "It took me getting sober to even be able to — for three years, I sat around in a puddle of my own tears, thinking I could never heal and that life had handed me a hand that I would never heal from. And, you know, meanwhile, was drinking and drugging." "I mean, shocking that you can't heal," he added sarcastically. "Within about four months of being sober, I was able to acknowledge and be like, 'Oh, my mom is dead. Right? She's gone. That's what people do. They get old enough, they die. And she was a great mom, and you got to have all these tremendous experiences that most people only dream of having with their mothers.' And now I'm on the other side of it. I'm able to have this conversation with you, Christina, without doing what you just did. Without crying." Savion Washington/FilmMagic "I told my mom everything because, you know, it was Alzheimer's. My dad went — he was having sex with his girlfriend and had a heart attack and was gone. So that's a different thing," Faustino said. "With my mom, I was able to, you know, do all the things and say all the things." He shared that Applegate was instrumental in helping him get sober, thanking his former TV sister by saying, "I appreciate everything you did at that time too, even though it was difficult. But I appreciate all your help through the whole thing. I'm just really grateful, and here I am, you know, on the other side of it." "It's probably the best decision I've ever made, sobriety," said Faustino. "Besides having my kids, it's the greatest decision I've ever made in my life." Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Read the original article onPeople
