Being a Hollywood star is something most of us would love, and if you get that chance at the age of 11 that’s mind-blowing!

Daniel Radcliffe became an overnight celebrity and one of the greatest movie stars with Harry Potter. Albeit, everything comes with a cost. Yes, the actor did 8 films of the series and made tons of money but amidst all of this lost his childhood.

Daniel Radcliffe’s Alcohol Addiction Started During The Last Film

In a recent interview with BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Radcliffe opened up about his Alcohol Addiction.

He explained, “A lot of drinking that happened towards the end of Potter and for a little bit after it finished, it was panic a little bit, not knowing what to do next. Not being — comfortable enough in who I was to remain sober.”

His immense childhood fame and media scrutiny are also one reason why he was searching for solace in alcohol.

Dealing with addiction was made worse for him, being a public figure. It wasn’t just a regular person going to the bar and getting drunk. It was Harry Potter, the world’s most famous Magician.

The actor spent 10 years of his childhood with the Harry Potter franchise and was always in the public eye. The experiences of a normal childhood were never faced by Daniel. In a 2010 interview, Daniel opens up about filming his final Harry Potter Movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

“There was just some very primal reaction,” Radcliffe said at the time.

“When you’ve spent 10 years in a certain place with a group of people, suddenly that goes, you do sort of go ‘What am I going to do now?’ It was bizarre because I knew I was doing a musical next year but that was all done. I knew that was going to happen, and I knew there was a definite option of one of about three films, but at that moment I was really thinking, ‘What am I going to without all of you?’ because it was those people I had learned so much from.”

How Daniel Radcliffe Fought Addiction

When you’re addicted to one of the world’s most addictive substances, it isn’t an easy task getting off it. Daniel, 30 now explains,

“It took a few years and took a couple of attempts,” Radcliffe told the outlet. “But I think I have been just unbelievably lucky with the people that I’ve had around me at certain times in my life. And I’ve met some really key people, some of them actors, some of them not, who just gave me great advice and really cared for me.”

However, the actor says that the ultimate blow dawned upon him one morning and he decided to get sober.

“I woke up one morning after a night going like ‘This is probably not good,’” he said. “And I don’t miss it, generally, now at all — When I think of the sort of chaos I used to invite into my life, I’m really much happier now.