Daniel Radcliffe Admits to Alcohol Problem

'Harry Potter' star Daniel Radcliffe may play a high school wizard on-screen but he recently admitted that he also battled his demons after the director called cut. The 21-year-old divulged to GQ magazine (via People) that he has been sober since August 2010, but had previously suffered from a dangerous drinking problem.

"I became so reliant on [alcohol] to enjoy stuff," he said. "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, who is currently starring in the Broadway musical, 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,' explained that his battle with alcohol first came to light on the 2009 set of 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.' But no magic wand to save him here, it was only by luck that Radcliffe's addiction stayed out of the public domain.

"I really got away with that because there were so many instances when a paparazzi shot like that could have been taken," he explained regarding his visibly intoxicated bouts.

So how did the 'Potter' star turn himself around? By staying in. Radcliffe explained that it was solely by accepting the fact that he could live a "quite life" away from the glitz and glamor of showbiz, while still maintaining his role in the industry, that he was able to say enough is enough. This realization came after Radcliffe completed filming the final installment of the wizarding series, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.'

Radcliffe even skipped his latest film's premiere so as to avoid any liquid temptation and opted to sit home watching "the Discovery Channel ... [with] a bowl of Sugar Puffs."

Radcliffe has experienced both the ups and downs of his young but vast fame and going forward has chosen sobriety rather than the tumultuous lifestyle that so many young actors cannot escape.

"I'm actually enjoying the fact that I can have a relationship with my girlfriend [Olive Uniacke] where I'm really pleasant and not fucked up totally all the time ... As much as I would love to be the person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time, that doesn't work for me. I'd rather just 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."

Having conquered the big screen worldwide and now the stage in New York, we have no doubt that Radcliffe's star will live on long after the final Hogwarts curtain is drawn.