Zac Efron Equates Boozing to a Social Stimulant, Admits Why He Checked into Rehab Last Year

Zac Efron equated getting drunk and having fun as a social lubricant. This is why he realized he needed to check into rehab last year. Everyone was surprised he did it himself quietly last year, and now he's telling people why.

In a clip for the show "Running Wild with Bear Grylls," he shared that "The challenging part was never the work, you know, that was never it. It's sort of the in between."

"The social aspects outside of it, I mean everywhere you go to a certain extent, there is press of some form. I mean whether you're going out to an event, where you're supposed to be out with friends, there will be press there, if you are leaving your house to go to the grocery store, there will be press there."

He shared that he spent too much time hiding from the press that at some point he'll go crazy if he was not able to go out and get some "social lubricant," the term he gives to booze and partying.

He added, "It was getting to the point where I was caring less about the work and waiting more for the weekend you know what I mean, where I couldn't wait to go out. You know, and sort of let loose and have fun.

But then, the "good effects" of his fun weekend get shorter and shorter until he would not be able to last through Monday or Tuesday without any difficulty. That is when he realized things are really bad for him and he needs to go to rehab. He shared that he never wanted to take anything or do anything anymore just to feel good on the outside, even though he's crumbling inside. His exact words were, "I just really never again want to have to take anything from the outside into me, to make me feel good about my outside."

Now on the road to recovery, Zac has been receiving support from Michelle Rodriguez. Eventhough just fresh from her fling with Brit model Cara Delevingne, many was shocked to see them locking lips as they vacationed in Sardinia earlier this month.

Before Michelle Rodriguez came into the picture though, Zac already had a very strong support system comprised of Lea Michele, who lost her boyfriend, Cory Monteith to drugs. After Cory died, Lea has become a staunch supporter of Zac's becoming clean and sober.

"After he died, Lea became a sober support for Zac. She'd even invite him on hikes through Runyon Canyon. But lately, Zac's been standing her up," Hollywood Life reported. "She's deeply worried that Zac is teetering on the brink of tragedy."

"Lea wants Zac to get into a hard-core rehab program and publicly come clean about relapsing," Hollywood Life added.