Chris Klein -- Booze Almost Killed Me

‘American Pie’ actor Chris Klein says he had such a terrible problem with alcohol ... it nearly killed him.

TMZ broke the story ... Klein was arrested in 2010 for driving on an L.A. freeway with an EXTREMELY high blood-alcohol level ... and checked into rehab shortly after the bust.

Now, Klein is telling People.com ... if he didn't get help, "I would have died, and I think about that every single day.”