Tracy Morgan credits his 30 Rock co-star Alec Baldwin with helping him kick booze and turn his life around. The comedian violated his probation on a driving under the influence (DUI) charge last year when he was accused of drunkenly groping a female DJ. As punishment, he was forced to wear an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet.

Morgan has been in recovery since, and describes himself as a "functioning alcoholic" - and he insists Baldwin has played a large part in his rehabilitation.

He says, "Alec was the main one counseling me. He's a passionate dude. I don't give a f--- what nobody say about him, dude been there. 'You got an opportunity on 30 Rock,' he told me. I felt the love when he do that."

On a lighter note, Morgan is angry people often mistake him for the buffoon he plays in sitcom 30 Rock - insisting it takes intelligence to play someone that stupid.

The comedian plays TV star Tracy Jordan in the hit comedy, a character some fans have confused for his real life persona. But he's really the opposite of Jordan, because he claims it requires brains and skill to properly portray an idiot.

He says, "He's my alter ego, he's not me. Some people believe everything they see on TV. People, it's called tel-lee-vision. You have to be highly intelligent to get away with a dumb joke. That takes a pretty smart fella."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)