'I drank to disassociate.' Michael J. Fox was in denial about his Parkinson's diagnosis for a decade.

In 1991, Michael J. Fox noticed a tremor in his pinky finger. 

The acclaimed actor was in the middle of filming Doc Hollywood and had just wrapped up seven seasons of his hit TV show, Family Ties. 

Just a couple of years earlier, his role as Marty McFly in Back To The Future and its sequels had sky-rocketed him into the spotlight as one of Hollywood's most beloved actors. 

Watch the trailer for the Apple+ documentary, Still. Post continues after video. 

But in 1991, at the age of 29, in a hotel room, Fox saw his pinky finger slightly quiver and knew something was wrong. He would later be diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease by a neurologist. 

For years, Fox kept his diagnosis a secret from his legions of fans around the world. In a new documentary, Still, set to air on Apple+, Fox admitted he used alcohol to cope with what he was going through. 

And it didn't take long for his drinking to spiral out of control. 

"I drank to distraction, to escape my situation," the actor said. "I was an alcoholic."

Michael J Fox. Image: Getty.

He also admitted that his addiction caused tension in his marriage to his Family Ties co-star Tracy Pollan, who Fox had been with since 1985. 

"I intended to ­pretend as if this wasn’t happening to me. I drank to disassociate. Tracy got to the end of her rope because now we had twins," he said. 

Fox eventually got sober in 1992, but it would be another six years before he disclosed his diagnosis to the world. 

Sometimes, the actor admits to wondering if his heavy drinking played some part in his diagnosis. 

 Back To The Future. Image: Amblin Entertainment.

"There’s so many ways that I could have hurt myself," he admitted. "I could have hit my head. I could have drunk too much at a certain developmental period."

Fox retired from acting in 2020 due to his symptoms — which include tremors, impaired movement, coordination and muscle stiffness.

In Still, the now 61-year-old reveals that coping with the condition is getting more difficult over time. 

[It's] getting tougher; every day it gets tougher," he said. "But, that's the way it is and who do I see about that?"

Aside from managing the incurable disease, Fox has faced multiple other health battles over the years, including injuries as a result of his lack of balance. 

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"I had spinal surgery. I had a tumour on my spine. And it was benign, but it messed up my walking. And then, started to break stuff,' he shared. "Broke this arm, and I broke this arm, I broke this elbow. I broke my face. I broke my hand. Which is a big killer with Parkinson's."

He added, "It's falling and aspirating food and getting pneumonia. All these subtle ways that get ya."

As his condition deteriorates, Fox admits he's thinking more and more about his mortality.

"You don't die from Parkinson's. You die with Parkinson's," he says. So I've been thinking about the mortality of it. I'm not gonna be 80. I'm not gonna be 80."

Parkinson's is the second most common neurological condition. Research estimates that more than 100,000 Australians are living with the disease. 

Still is available to stream on Apple+.

Feature Image: Apple+.