Daniel Radcliffe reveals problem with alcohol

Looks like Harry Potter has faced more demons than just Voldemort. In an interview with U.K.’s GQ, Daniel Radcliffe revealed that he’s been sober since last summer after realizing he was too attached to alcohol. Said the How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Broadway star, “I became 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 said he began drinking whiskey on the set of 2009′s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but was able to avoid paparazzi shots that would have painted the young star as a party boy. “I really got away with that because there were so many instances when a paparazzi shot like that could have been taken,” he told the magazine.

Luckily, unlike many other young Hollywood stars who battle their vices for years, Radcliffe became aware that he was headed down a dangerous path after he completed filming on July 15′s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2. “There’s no shame in enjoying a quiet life,” he said. “And that’s been the realization of the past few years for me … 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.”

Radcliffe’s revelations paint a picture that’s a far cry from the squeaky-clean image he’s developed since breaking out as a pre-teen in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. But it’s also respectable that the actor is willing to admit to his problems — here’s hoping other young stars who find themselves struggling with alcohol or other substances can use Radcliffe as an example. As he proves, not every young star with problems needs to turn out like Lindsay Lohan.

Do you respect Radcliffe that much more, PopWatchers?