Shia LaBeouf recalled his dark past with alcohol consumption, admitting that excessive drinking almost ruined his life. The star, however, is happy to announce that he has now been sober for a year and is keeping his “head low.”

He revealed to Variety.com: “That s**t almost f***ed up my life. Alcohol or any of that s**t will send you haywire. I can’t f**k with none of it. I’ve got to keep my head low.

I got a Napoleonic complex. I start drinking and I feel smaller than I am, and I get louder than I should. It’s just not for me, dude.”

The actor is grateful to have gotten advice from those close to him, as they gradually helped open his eyes about the issue.

“I had people tell me it was going to [ruin my career]. People I respected – dudes I wanted to work with – just looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Life’s too short for this s**t.’ I’m still earning my way back. I’m happy working.”

And although LaBeouf spent a lot of time among Disney alumni such as Hilary Duff and the Jonas brothers, the actor admitted he always felt like an outsider.

He added while speaking about his father’s friends: “There were drugs everywhere – marijuana, cocaine, heroin. [My dad] gave me my first joint when I was probably 11 or 12.

They would invite the Hilary Duffs and Miley Cyruses to go to the Jonas Brothers concert, and I’d be there with my friends. But we were outsiders. It felt distant.”

In contrast, the 30-year-old also believes he would not have landed some past gigs without being a “loose cannon.”

He said: “I don’t think I’d be working with the directors I’ve been working with if I had not f***ed up a bit. They wanted a f***ing fireball. They wanted a loose cannon. I’m learning how to distill my ‘crazy’ into something manageable, that I can shape and deliver on the day … [Before] I was an open wound bleeding on everything.”