Cory Monteith Reveals Past Drug Problems, Warns Kids Against Drug And Alcohol Abuse

Cory Monteith doesn’t want kids thinking that dropping out of high school and recovering from a drug addiction can lead to a life of fame and fortune. “I don’t want kids to think it’s okay to drop out of school and get high, and they’ll be famous actors, too … But for those people who might give up: Get real about what you want and go after it,” he told Parade Magazine.

The issue, out this Sunday, has Monteith talking about that dark period of his life where drugs and alcohol turned the Glee actor into a shadow of himself. People Magazine grabbed a few quotes from the interview, in which Monteith reflected on how he got into drugs and what pushed him to get (and stay) clean.

Monteith’s parents divorced when he was 7, and by 13 he was smoking pot, getting drunk and skipping school. By 16, Monteith said he was using “anything and everything.” When his family staged an intervention and sent him to rehab, he got out and then picked up where he left off. It wasn’t until he stole “a significant amount of money” from a family member that Monteith knew he had to turn his life around.

When confronted, he confessed and it was “the first honorable, truthful thing that had come out of my mouth in years.” The relative told him that he had two choices: Get clean or face robbery charges. Monteith realized he had to clean it up. “I was done fighting myself. I finally said, ‘I’m gonna start looking at my life and figure out why I’m doing this.’ “ No wonder Finn was the DD during Rachel Berry’s basement bender.