Growing up as a teen star in Hollywood is way heavier than it looks from the outside. While fans just saw a confident kid playing a werewolf on television, the intense pressure of early fame secretly pushed Dylan Sprayberry into a ten-year battle with drug addiction.
When normal ways of getting back on track weren’t working for him, the actor ended up looking for answers in an unexpected place. Opening up about his darkest years, the ‘Teen Wolf‘ star recently shared how turning to the controversial world of Scientology changed his life forever.
Dylan Sprayberry Turned To Scientology To Save Himself
The former MTV star opened up about adopting the religion in an Instagram video, posted on July 12. After his fans sent him interesting clips he had been sharing on his stories, Sprayberry chose to talk about his recent belief and what led him there.
“I am a Scientologist. I’ve been a Scientologist for three years now. It’s been an epic experience for me,” Sprayberry said, describing the experience as “fantastic.” “The original reason I got into Scientology was because I’ve been sober now for five years, off of drugs…Clean and sober, which has been amazing.”
The actor, who played Liam Dunbar on ‘Teen Wolf’ from 2014 to 2017, says that he experienced a real breakthrough at the beginning of his sobriety journey. He informed fans that he was clean, a milestone he’s proud of. The actor also acknowledged the positive impact it has had on his life.
Reflecting on the early years of his career, he revealed that he got into substance abuse while tackling anxiety and depression as a teen. Moreover, he explained that his mental health struggles became “more and more crippling with time,” leading him to turn to drugs at 16 or 17 before reaching sobriety at 23.
Having been sober for two years, Sprayberry knew the mental health issues were still affecting him. “It was tough, but I had to confront it. I realized I was using those drugs to try to handle that stuff but all it did was make the anxiety and the depression worse, because I had ignored it and numbed myself to it for 10 years.”
Sprayberry’s Unconventional “Purification Rundown”
While seeking a solution, Sprayberry met some “amazing Scientologists” and joined the religion with a “purification rundown,” which he called a “detox program” that helps rid the body of drugs and toxins with physical activities, including exercise.
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He also spoke about the principles he learned from ‘The Way to Happiness’ by L. Ron Hubbard. He realized that one shouldn’t view happiness as an achievable goal but rather as something one can create within oneself.
“I’ve been creating my state of being all this time. The whole reason I was depressed and anxious and all that stuff was because I was not being that person who creates happiness for myself,” the actor said.
Moreover, Sprayberry said that everything he learned helped him become a greater person. He believes he cannot lose this newfound identity as it comes from within. The actor initially thought it would be tough to attain this kind of happiness. He compared it to getting an acting role or buying a car.
“But that’s not how it works. I just wanted to share that with you guys, because it’s been such a special experience for me,” he concluded. “I’ve gotten to get myself in such a good place in life, and I’m doing genuinely fantastic.”
Apart from ‘Teen Wolf,’ Sprayberry starred in ‘Man of Steel,’ ‘Glee,’ ‘iCarly,’ and ‘Teen Wolf: The Movie.’ He and his wife, Pruette Karl, are expecting their first child together. As he gears up for fatherhood, this massive transformation marks an important step in his life.
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