A portrait of 49-year-old American actor Charlie Sheen, which is said to expose the true face of addiction, is up for auction, the Independent reports.

Sheen, who is best known for his roles in film and television hits, has long struggled openly with alcohol and substance abuse. In 2011, he was fired from television sitcom Two and a Half Men after a series of strange videos emerged, showing the actor describing himself as a “warlock”.

The portrait is by the artist Lincoln Townley, who is also in recovery for alcohol and drug abuse. During the late 2000s, Townley developed substance addiction while running a number of Soho strip clubs.

Sheen has declared himself a fan of the work. According to the actor, the painting portrays “the essence of what it is to live with addiction.” He has flown the artist out to LA in order to sign the work before it hits the auction block and hopes that the proceeds of the sale will “support others in their struggle with alcoholism and substance abuse”

This work is not Townley’s first depiction of a celebrity struggling with sobriety. Last year, a painting depicting British actor and comedian Russell Brand was sold for $20,000 in aid of Abstinence-Based Recovery Trust (see Russell Brand Portrait to be Auctioned for Addiction Charity.) Townley himself has been sober for four years and is currently working on portraits of fellow addicts including Mickey Rourke and Gary Oldman.