Radcliffe revealed to GQ U.K.: “I became so reliant on alcohol to enjoy stuff. There were a few years there when I was just so enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person’s lifestyle that really isn’t suited to me.”

Radcliffe admits that his drinking began while filming the sixth movie in the series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. But fortunately for Radcliffe, the paparazzi never caught on to his secret to be able to catch him in a compromising drunken stupor before he cleaned up his act last year. “I really got away with that because there were many instances when a paparazzi shot like that could have been taken,” he says.

Also lucky for Radcliffe, he realized his problem before it affected his life permanently. “I’m actually enjoying the fact I can have a relationship with my girlfriend where I’m really pleasant and I’m not f–king up totally all the time. There’s no shame in enjoying the quiet life. And that’s been the realization of the past few years for me.”

Radcliff is enjoying his sober life so much, he swears it’s here to stay. “As much as I would love to be a person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time, that doesn’t work for me. I’d just rather sit at home and read, or go out to dinner with someone, or talk to someone I love, or talk to somebody that makes me laugh.”