Paula Patton went on a "wild but amazing" journey after getting sober.

The 49-year-old actress - who has 15-year-old son Julian with ex-husband Robin Thicke - took on the lead role in new movie Finding Faith because the titular character "goes through so much" and she could identify with her because of her own experiences of giving up alcohol.

Speaking on the Big Tigger Morning Show radio programme in Atlanta, she said: "Seven years ago, I got sober and life took me on a journey which was wild but amazing.

"When you get sober, it's so funny, I just had this epiphany that I had made a choice like, it was family, it was my life, or chaos to be honest."

Paula gave up drinking when she wanted to spend time with her son before filming a movie in London.

She recalled: "I said, 'I can't do it.' But then, in that moment, I said if I do this, 'I'm going to stop drinking.'

"So once that happened, you go down a path and all of the masks that you wear, right like all the things that fill your ego, they drop away."

Despite making a positive decision for herself, Paula lost "friends" and work began to "fall away", making it a "really challenging" time.

She said: "So you have to find your way through it to find out who you truly are, and that can be really challenging. There's a lot of time alone, you know, and having to face myself and memories and such."

Ultimately, the Warcraft actress' sobriety brought a newfound "joy" into her life and drew her closer to Julian.

She added: "But then on the other side was this joy, just joy for being a mother, a joy of life.

"Suddenly, I just had this childlike experience, where I started to see everything through my kid's eyes. Because he's my best friend.

"It was like being born again."