Colin Farrell Opens Up About Being Single for the Past 5 Years, and the Crazy Way He Quit Smoking

To say Colin Farrell is intense is an understatement.

The 39-year-old Irish actor covers Men's Health's September 2015 issue in a simple white t-shirt and jeans, and talks openly about life as a single dad. Colin has two sons -- 11-year-old James with model Kim Bordenave, and 5-year-old Henry with actress Alicja Bachleda -- who are the number one priority in his life.

Surprisingly, the handsome True Detective star says he's been single for the last five years.

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"It's not that I don’t get lonely sometimes, but I'm okay about it," he tells the magazine. "The most significant aspect of my life lives far away from anywhere that a camera is needed. You play the part and do interviews but don't overextend yourself or put on a mask or change your name. Because when you get home, the only thing that matters is your son is not eating his turkey sandwiches and he’s not into avocado anymore, so you have to find something new that he'll eat for lunch."

Farrell, who looks impressively fit on the cover, also talks about picking up healthier habits, like quitting smoking.

Men's Health

But you'll never guess how he was able to do it.

"I wrote a breakup letter to the Spirit of Tobacco," he recalls. "I got a frying pan and tossed the letter with a load of tobacco, put some paraffin over it, and lit a match that sent a big, wallowing cloud up into the sky. Then I didn't have a cigarette for another two years."

Last February, the actor admitted that he was happy the "madness" in his life is over, and also revealed that he hadn't had a drink in eight years. Farrell has struggled with addiction before -- in December 2005, he checked into a rehabilitation treatment center for addictions to recreational drugs and painkillers.

"All the madness and all the chaos and all the people around me got so tiring after a while that I had to find another way, and while I don't live a monk-like existence, I have a new appreciation for solitude that would have terrified me years ago," he told the Telegraph. "And I'm glad the madness is over. It was interesting to experience, but I'm glad it's passed."

NEWS: Colin Farrell on Gaining Weight for 'True Detective' -- It's Not That Fun

ET caught up with Real Housewife of Beverly Hills star Kim Richards in July, who talked about her own determination to stay sober. "I love sobriety, and I've always loved sobriety," she told ET during an exclusive sit-down interview. "Relapsing was very hard for me."

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