David Arquette is drinking heavily to cope with his split from Courteney Cox.

The actor -- whose separation from his estranged wife was announced in October -- admits he was turned to alcohol as he is finding the situation "traumatic" and hard to deal with.

He said: "I've been drinking a lot. But I don't want to go into all that, because it's really a personal, traumatic thing.

"Everybody's worried and concerned about me. When I drink, I become a maniac.

"This is the hardest thing anyone has to go through. You wake up and the reality hits you."

As well as drinking heavily, David -- who has a six-year-old daughter, Coco, with Courteney -- says he's now looking for someone to mother him as his wife had grown tired of that role.

He revealed to US radio DJ Howard Stern: "Courteney said she doesn't want to be my mother. I kind of need a mother right now. I need a girl to come bring me some soup and make sure I'm all right. I like that, and I take care of my ladies, too."

Former ‘Friends' star Courteney recently insisted she and David have no plans to divorce, despite their separation and praised her estranged husband, describing him as her "best friend".

She said: "We're the best of friends. It was never a horrible relationship, although obviously we grew apart.

"David is an amazing person. He has a wonderful soul and we get along very well. We're hoping that things work out for the best."