Eddie Murphy reveals the one thing that helped him avoid drugs, Hollywood pitfalls (Exclusive)

Eddie Murphy has seen a few things in his nearly 50-year career. But seeing doesn’t mean participating.

The iconic comedian and actor talks about his long career and how he’s survived in Hollywood in this week’s issue of PEOPLE.

“In a business where people come and go, most people don’t last 50 years,” says the star, whose legendary run is commemorated in Netflix’s new documentary Being Eddie.

He believes that his inherent self-love protected him from many Hollywood pitfalls, namely the deadly drug and alcohol addictions that claimed the lives of many of his comedy heroes and colleagues.

“My biggest blessing is that I love myself,” Murphy said when asked how he has survived in Hollywood. “I’ve always loved myself. I’ve always been my own biggest fan. That’s the core of every decision you make. Some people go all the way through life and get to the end and say, ‘I finally love myself.’ That’s how I started, too.”

In a new documentary, Murphy reflects on the pain of losing friends like Rick James and Redd Foxx to drugs, pointing out that fellow superstars like Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson suffered from “self-destructive” tendencies.

On the other hand, he said he had never tried hard drugs and only tried marijuana for the first time when he was 30 years old.

Last year, Starr revealed on The Interview podcast that he once turned down an invitation to do cocaine with fellow comedians Robin Williams and John Belushi.

The three had gone out to a bar and Murphy was only 19 years old at the time. “It was me and (John) Belushi and Robin Williams,” he said on the podcast. “When they started drinking coke, I thought, ‘No, I’m cool.'”

“I wasn’t taking a moral stance. I just wasn’t interested in it. I think it’s providential that you don’t have desire or curiosity,” said Murphy, who also mentioned the episode in “Being Eddie.”

“God was watching over me in that moment,” he added.

The proud father of 10 tells PEOPLE that what makes him happiest now is “just being Eddie. I love having my family around me and I love being in this great business for so long.”

“Being Eddie” is available on Netflix.