Anthony Hopkins shares how he knew he was an alcoholic

Anthony Hopkins looked back on how a terrifying incident jolted him into the realization that he was battling alcoholism.

“I was drunk and driving my car here in California in a blackout, no clue where I was going, when I realized that I could have killed somebody. Or myself, which I didn’t care about,” he said during a Saturday appearance on the New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast.

“I could have killed a family in a car, you know.”

The Oscar winner added, “I realized that I was an alcoholic, and I came to my senses.”

Hopkins, 87, recalled seeing an ex-agent at a Beverly Hills party and admitting, “I need help.”

Page Six has reached out to a rep for the actor for further comment.

The iconic actor recalled other details — including the exact time he heard a voice that helped him put his drinking problem behind him, after reaching out to a 12-step program in Los Angeles.

“It was 11 o’clock precisely — I looked at my watch,” he divulged.

“And this is the spooky part — some deep, powerful thought or voice spoke to me from inside and said, ‘It’s all over. Now you can start living. And it has all been for a purpose, so don’t forget one moment of it.’”

Hopkins said the voice — which he described as “male” and “like a radio voice” — removed his desire to drink.

“The craving to drink was taken from me, or left,” he said. Hopkins has since been sober for decades.

“Now I don’t have any theories except divinity or that power that we all possess inside us that creates us from birth, life force, whatever it is. It’s a consciousness, I believe. That’s all I know.”

The legendary “Silence of the Lambs” star — who celebrated 49 years of sobriety in December — also explained why drinking appealed to him as a younger actor.

“Booze is terrific because it makes you instantly feel in a different space,” he shared, adding that it “made [him] feel big” and helped “nullify” his “discomfort.”

He also reflected on having made it past his challenges.

“There are monstrous difficulties in life and you take notice of them,” he said. “But finally, approaching 88 years of age, I wake up in the morning going: ‘I’m still here. How?’”

If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).