Lucy Hale 'Blacked Out' the First Time She Tried Alcohol at Age 12, Secretly Went to Rehab at Age 23: 'I Was So Deeply Ashamed'

Lucy Hale has become an open book when it comes to her relationship with alcohol.

During her appearance on the Wednesday, November 1, episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, the actress explained that her drinking habits formed before she even hit high school.

"The first time I ever had alcohol... I was probably 12, or 13. I was in Florida, on vacation and we drank Green Apple Pucker," the brunette beauty, 34, shared. "I remember my very first experience with alcohol was the same as when it ended."

"I blacked out — at 12 years old," Hale admitted. "I don't remember what happened, I threw up, I got very sick, and I remember being so distraught when I realized what had happened. I was like, 'Oh my god, my mom is going to be so disappointed in me.'"

After the scary incident, the Pretty Little Liars alum only imbibed sporadically until she was 18, which was when things escalated.

"I remember shame after every experience drinking, because my drinking was never normal," she said. "Literally every time I drank, it was very clear I was drinking to escape something, even at a young age."

"I didn't realize I had a problem until my early 20s," Hale noted, revealing she "went to rehab when I was 23."

"I don't think anyone on the show [Pretty Little Liars] knew. And it was my choice too," the star added. "That was a pivotal moment in my life."

However, even after receiving treatment for her problem, she still "wasn't ready to give up drinking, which is why I didn't get sober until I was 32."

Over the years, the "You Sound Good to Me" singer tried other methods to help ease her bad habits, such as going to trauma centers, attending therapy and taking medication.

Though she had the "desire" to get sober, many of her friends were drinkers as well, and she found it to be "uncomfortable" to be hanging out with people who were all drunk.

Unfortunately, the drinking led to her making worse decisions, and she revealed that there were instances where she was taken advantage of in sexual encounters.

"I did have moments when I had to go to the hospital," Hale spilled. "It got really dark. I was very sad. I was very scared."

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The Privileged scene-stealer said "there was no way in h--- I was going to openly talk about" her struggles during the height of her career and issues since she "was so deeply ashamed of myself and my choices and the person who I was when I drank."

It wasn't until the pandemic hit that she made a shift since she was home all the time.

"Without having COVID, I might not have gotten sober — or committed to it," she explained. "Being sober is 100 percent the best thing I've ever done for myself, but doesn't mean it's easy."