Zac Efron is ready to talk.
The 26-year-old actor best known for "High School
Musical" went to rehab in 2013 but was elusive
about what he sought treatment for. Now, in an
interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Efron is
coming clean about his battle with alcohol and
drug use.
"It's a never-ending struggle," the actor said of his
issues with addiction. "I was drinking a lot, way
too much."
There were drugs as well, he added.
The problem erupted for Efron as he tried to work
his way from being the teen star of "High School
Musical" and "Hairspray" to more adult roles with
movies such as "The Lucky One" and "The
Paperboy."
"I had done films back-to-back-to-back. I was
burnt out," he said. "There was something lacking,
some sort of hole that I couldn't really fill up. I was
just so deep into my work, it was really the only
thing I had."
That period of his life left him feeling
isolated, he said, but in hindsight he can
see how it helped him grow.
"I mean, you're in your 20s, single, going
through life in Hollywood, you know?" he
told The Hollywood Reporter. "Everything
is thrown at you. I wouldn't take anything
back; I needed to learn everything I did."
Part of that learning experience has been
aided by therapy, and joining Alcoholics
Anonymous.
"I just started going, and I think it's
changed my life," Efron said. "I'm much
more comfortable in my own skin. Things
are so much easier now."
This year, Efron is hoping that a buttoned-
up lifestyle -- complete with daily
workouts and a 9 p.m. bedtime, or so he says --
paired with his newfound wisdom will help him
steer his career in the direction he wants it to go.
Earlier this year he starred in and produced the
comedy "That Awkward Moment," and on May 9
his comedy with Seth Rogen, "Neighbors," will
arrive in theaters.
"It's impossible to lead an honest and fulfilling life
as a man and not make mistakes and 'fess up to
them when you need to," Efron said. "I'm a human
being, and I've made a lot of mistakes. I've
learned from each one."
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