The High School Musical actor once reigned as Hollywood’s golden boy, snaring fans with his charm and talent. However, Zac Efron has been having a hard time behind all this glitz and glamour of fame. The young star has been put through some tumultuous times, appearing in headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Efron’s battle with addiction has been no secret, along with the long road to recovery and sobriety. On the way the actor had to face several other misfortunes, like getting randomly attacked by a vagrant, a health scare in a pool, and many more.
From Hollywood heartthrob to Recovery Road
Addiction is a constant issue the industry has dealt with several times, seems like the Neighbours actor was also not exempt from this. Efron has struggled with his alcohol and cocaine addiction for years, he opened up about this phase of his life in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
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 disclosed that he struggled for a long time with his addiction and then finally got help. Efron decided to battle against his demons and joined rehab, he even started going to Alcohol Anonymous meetings, which did help.
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Everything is thrown at you. I wouldn’t take anything back; I needed to learn everything I did. But it was an interesting journey, to say the least.
Since starting his recovery journey, the actor has been positively transformative and even completed a brief stint in rehab in 2013. The experience changed him for the better, says the actor.
I’m much more comfortable in my own skin. Things are so much easier now. It’s a never-ending struggle.
Though things were better with him overcoming one struggle, it seemed like the actor couldn’t catch a break. Misfortune followed him as he got into a scuffle with a homeless man.
Punches and Pool Mishaps: trials of a troubled star
Back in 2014, months after starting his rehab, in a shocking incident the actor got into a knife fight with a homeless man in LA. He told The Hollywood Reporter in the same interview about the scary incident which left a huge impact on his life.
I had a friend come pick me up late at night – we were looking for a place downtown to get a bite and catch up. We were having trouble finding somewhere – a lot of places were closed – and the car ran out of gas off the 110.
He explained how it was late at night when he got out of his meeting and was waiting for a friend. Unfortunately, he had to call for an Uber after his car ran out of gas, when suddenly a random stranger, who turned out to be a vagrant, came up to his bodyguard and started a fight.
I saw that [the homeless man] was carrying some sort of knife, or shank, and I got out of the car to disarm him
The actor had to get involved when he identified a weapon with the man, and fortunately, the police joined in to break up the fight. No major injuries were sustained, but Efron got punched in the face and described that night as the most terrifying moment in my life.
A few days ago the A Family Affair actor made headlines again when TMZ reported that he had a health scare while swimming in a pool when he was vacationing in Ibiza, Spain. In-depth report of what happened was not shared, but it seems like the actor became unwell and had to be rescued by members of the staff who then rushed him off to the hospital.
This incident occurred on a Friday, which immensely worried fans but thankfully, the actor shared happy news the following Sunday. Efron shared that he was “happy and healthy” and thanked for all the well-wishes from fans. It looks like trouble really does follow the star but fans wish him love and a healthy recovery.
