Though he’s been sober for more than 12 years, Joe Manganiello admits he still struggles to keep his long-standing commitment to abstain from drinking in the wake of his past alcohol addiction.

“I battled with addiction at a young age and got to the other side of that,” the 38-year-old actor revealed in a candid new interview. “That’s an ongoing battle.”

joe manganiello

Joe at age 25 in 2002.

In 2013, the Magic Mike star opened up about his alcoholism for the first time and confessed drinking “ruined” his life during his 20s. “I was homeless, careless and broke with no career, so yes, it was worth it [to get sober],” he said during a previous interview.

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“There was a period of four years where I needed to quit drinking. And the drinking got in the way [of my career]. It was one of those obstacles that I had to get over… I had to clean up my act and figure that whole situation out,” he told [HuffPost Live](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/03/joe-manganiello-alcohol-problemn4379604.html).

sofia vergara and joe manganiello

Sofia and Joe in November 2014.

Now the happily engaged star — he popped the question to actress Sofia Vergara, 42, in December 2014 — is ready to share even more about his ongoing recovery from addiction.

“I was writing a one-man show at some point, and maybe I’ll pick up with that or turn that into a book; there are some hurdles that were thrown my way in life that I had to get over [that I want to discuss]. I think there’s a story in there somewhere about trying to find my way through that and making it to where I am today,” he told Haute Living magazine of his future plans.