In the article, the 29-year old actor gave much detail about his “serious” drug problem which involved “anything and everything, as much as possible.”

It all started when his parents got divorced when he was 7. He started skipping school, getting drunk and smoking pot at the age of 13. Monteith finally dropped out when 16, after attending 12 different schools. At 19, things had gotten so bad, his mother and friends organized an intervention.

“That’s when I first went to rehab,” but like others like him, his first stint at rehab was not enough to change his habits permanently. He had to hit rock bottom first to start to change, an experience he calls “the crystallizing event.”

“I stole a significant amount of money from a family member,” he admits. “I knew I was going to get caught, but I was so desperate I didn’t care. It was a cry for help. I was confronted and I said, ‘Yeah, it was me.’ It was the first honorable, truthful thing that had come out of my mouth in years.”

The family member told Monteith to clean up his act or he would be reported to the police. So, with those two options facing him, he moved in with a friend and was able to kick his drug habit. He then started a job a roofer and started acting.

“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. If I can, anyone can.”

Read more in the latest edition of Parade Magazine.