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Life wasn't always so glamorous for Joe Manganiello. The "True Blood" star reveals in a new interview with HuffPost Live that he struggled with a drinking problem when he was in his 20s.

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"There was a period of about four years where I needed to quit drinking," the 36-year-old actor told the website, adding that drinking "got in the way [of my career]…I had to clean up my act and figure that whole situation out." When asked if he still drinks, Manganiello said, "No, it's been over 11 years."

As for the struggle to get sober, the actor told the website, "My life was ruined. I was homeless, careless and broke with no career, so yes, it was worth it [to get sober]."

Manganiello also revealed he was bullied as a teen.

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"Failure became a huge part of my success story," Manganiello explained. "Now, you hear about these soccer games kids play when goals aren't counted. Everybody gets the orange slice and the pat on the back and everybody says 'Good job!' And that wasn't the case for me and I think I benefited from that. I'm glad that I lost, I'm glad that I failed, I'm glad that I felt that way and decided to do something about it….I never wanted to feel that way again and it drove me."

The actor has just written a new book entitled, Evolution: The Cutting Edge Guide to Breaking Down Mental Walls and Building the Body You've Always Wanted.

"True Blood's" final season will premiere in the summer of 2014.