Jiri Turek for Variety

Shia LaBeouf says he hasn't had a drink in almost a year -- and it shows.

In a new interview with Variety, the unruly actor got candid about alcohol and how it's affected his career.

Shia, who is currently filming a movie about John McEnroe in Prague, said, "I don't think I'd be working with the directors I've been working with if I had not f–ked up a bit."

He said that his unsavory and unpredictable behavior has helped him land the roles he currently has: "They wanted a f–king fireball. They wanted a loose cannon. I'm learning how to distill my 'crazy' into something manageable, that I can shape and deliver on the day."

When asked if he was worried his drunken incident that he caused while watching Cabaret on Broadway was going to affect his career, he said, “I had people tell me it was going to,” he says. “People I respected — dudes I wanted to work with — just looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Life’s too short for this sh-t.’ I’m still earning my way back. I’m happy working.”

As for his alcohol -- the former Disney star says he hasn't had a drink in almost a year and that he has attended AA meetings.
He admitted drinking just brings up his issues, "I got a Napoleonic complex. I start drinking and I feel smaller than I am, and I get louder than I should. It's just not for me, dude."

The star said, "Alcohol or any of that si-t will send you haywire … I can't f–k with none of it. I've got to keep my head low."

He declared, "I never knew how to drink. I never liked to drink, but I knew you had to drink. It was a weird post-modern fascination with the f–k-ups. When I met Robert Downey Jr., I was like, ‘Man, you got all this f–king texture. How do I do this? How do I build texture?'"

Well we know that Downey Jr. is sober -- so we have a feeling that helps! In addition to staying off the sauce, the 30-year-old is engaged to British model Mia Goth.

Shia also starts in American Honey, which debuted at Cannes in May and plays at the Toronto Film Festival this week. In the movie, which opens in theaters on Sept. 30, Shia stars as the leader of a gang of nomad thieves and misfit kids, who sell magazine subscriptions on a cross-country road trip. The actor has gotten rave reviews for his performance. Keep it up, Shia!