In a recent interview with People, actress Lucy Hale spoke candidly about her path to sobriety, revealing that it was only after "hitting rock bottom" at the age of 32 that she made the deliberate choice to abstain from alcohol.

"I definitely had to go through my own process of getting sober," she continued. "It took many, many, many years, many relapses, many dark moments, many falling on my face quite literally, but figuratively as well to figure out what was working in my life, finding out why I was drinking, because removing alcohol is just one part of it."

"I remember my very first experience with alcohol was exactly how it was when it ended: I blacked out at 12," she said. "I don't remember what happened. I got very sick, I threw up, and I remember being so distraught when I realized what had happened."

The "Which Brings Me to You" star said she began drinking alcohol regularly at 18, noting that her drinking "was never normal."

"It was very clear I was drinking to escape something, even at a young age," she said. However, it wasn't until Hale was in her early 20s that she realized she had a problem.

On Jan. 2, 2022, 20 years after consuming her first alcoholic beverage, when the actress finally resolved to quit drinking.

Hale shared that her conversations with loved ones, including those she has hurt and those who have caused her pain, as well as her discussions with strangers online have given her life "so much color and meaning."

"To every person I have connected with ... thank you from the bottom of my heart," she added before imparting a piece of advice to those facing challenges with alcoholism.

However, the actress initially got her start on the small screen, appearing in a variety of television shows throughout the aughts, including "Bionic Woman," "Wizards of Waverly Place," "Privileged," and "How I Met Your Mother."

Hale landed her breakthrough role in 2010, playing Aria Montgomery in the Freeform series "Pretty Little Liars" -- a part that garnered her seven Teen Choice Awards, the most for any actress in a single series.

Some of the star's other accolades include taking home a People's Choice Award in 2014 for "Favorite Cable TV Actress."

"It's never too late to start choosing yourself. Please know that help is out there and asking for that help could be the decision that changes your life."