Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe may enjoy butterbeer in the wizarding world, but in the real world he’s stopped drinking because of a battle with alcohol not unlike Potter’s battles with Draco Malfoy.

Radcliffe’s confession to GQ magazine showed a great deal of courage, especially since he has become a famous actor over the past 10 years and maintained a clean public persona.

The question is, does his confession of a two-year stint with alcohol harm his ‘good-boy’ reputation, and does his honesty make up for his frowned-upon behavior?

The 22-year-old actor told the magazine he started drinking whiskey when he was 19 while working on the set of 2009’s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”

“I became so reliant on alcohol to enjoy stuff,” Radcliffe told the magazine. “There were a few years when I was just enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person’s lifestyle that really isn’t suited to me.”

The actor also told the magazine he feels as though he got away with it because he was never caught drinking by the paparazzi, for which he was grateful. He said there were definitely times when pictures could have been taken.

Radcliffe’s confession of his previous actions and his desire to take control of his addiction both show a sign of maturity. It’s also impressive that he took control of the publicity by revealing his addiction to the press before it turned into another celebrity scandal.

Radcliffe said he has been a strict non-drinker since August 2010.

“I’m actually enjoying the fact I can have a relationship with my girlfriend where I’m really pleasant,” Radcliffe said in the interview with the magazine. “As much as I would love to be a person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time, that doesn’t work for me. I do that very unsuccessfully.”

The maturity Radcliffe showed in his confession is similar to the transition in his career. The end of Harry Potter also marks the end of his childhood acting. While Radcliffe moves past his addiction, he also steps forward in his career toward more serious and adult roles.

According to the Associated Press, Radcliffe said, “If I can make a name for myself after Potter, and it goes well and is varied and with longevity, then that puts to bed the ‘child actors argument.'”

While Radcliffe’s alcohol problem is a shame, the courage and maturity he showed in revealing it is commendable.

If anything, it’s refreshing to see that it’s possible for a rich, famous celeb to avoid another pathetic E! True Hollywood Story of falling from grace like we’ve seen with Lindsey Lohan … or Charlie Sheen … or Britney Spears … or Amy Winehouse.

Let’s hope Potter doesn’t relapse and lose some points for Gryffindor.