Zac Efron breaks silence on 'never-ending struggle' with addiction

Zac Efron is breaking his silence on his addiction, rehab stint and even addressed the recent fight with a homeless man on death row. The former High School Musical star, now 26, spoke candidly about these topics and more with The Hollywood Reporter.

Efron called his addiction a "never-ending struggle" and admitted Alcoholics Anonymous has “changed my life.” Efron was a child star and he admits to struggling with the transition into forming an acting career in his adult life despite seeing a lot of success at a young age.

"When you have success young, and you accept the good things, you have to accept all of it. You have to accept the moments of glory but also a great responsibility,” he told THR. “And that responsibility, to some degree, involves being a role model. At the same time, I'm a human being, and I've made a lot of mistakes. I've learned from each one."

As for what he’s addicted to, he doesn’t say it was one specific vice. "I was drinking a lot, way too much. It's never one specific thing. I mean, you're in your 20s, single, going through life in Hollywood, you know?” he said.

Since it was revealed that Efron had checked into rehab in September 2013, stories have surfaced that have threatened the public’s perception of the acting actually staying sober. One of those stories was Efron getting into a fight with a homeless man.

"A homeless guy, or vagrant, tapped on the driver's-side window. Before I knew it, he [the friend] was out of the car, and they started fighting. I saw that [the homeless man] was carrying some sort of a knife, or shank, and I got out of the car to disarm him,” he explained. “At some point, he dropped the knife, and I got hit pretty hard in the face -- and almost instantly the police were there to break up the fight." After that, the two friends went home. Efron calls it "the most terrifying moment in my life."

Now, Efron says he’s “much happier and healthier than I've probably ever been."