HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Mischa Barton says she hit rock bottom following her DUI arrest last December.

"It was a low point in my life," the 22-year-old actress reveals to the U.K.'s Marie Claire. "I don't know, it was just an awful low for me."

Barton was arrested on Dec. 27 in West Hollywood when authorities witnessed her car straddling lanes and failing to signal for a turn.

"The truth of the matter is, I was being irresponsible to begin with — I moved to L.A. and never got a license," she tells the magazine.

In April, the former "O.C." star pleaded no contest to drunken driving and was sentenced to three years probation. In addition, Barton had a marijuana possession charge dropped against her, as well as a driving without a license charge reduced to an infraction.

"The thing is, I hate drunk drivers. Living in L.A., I can't stand them, and that's why I was so disappointed in myself," she says. "I wanted to prove to the court that I would take it completely seriously, so I went to rehab to prove I was sober.

"It really helped in getting the more serious aspects of my case dropped because, you know, that's what they want to hear: you're not an alcoholic, and you don't have a problem."

Even though she was aware her DUI arrest was a hot topic in the tabloids, Barton says she's not one to read up on what other people are saying about her.

I don't look at the gossip websites — it's unhealthy and I think it's a large part of what drives people in L.A. crazy," she explains. "I'm an actress, I'm in this to find the next great project. The fact is, I'm having a real life and being a normal human being."

As for how people look at her now, Barton says, "I apologized — and you have to just hope that that's enough. People make mistakes, you know?"

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