Living the Dry Life

Image credit: Chris Polk/FilmMagic.com

LOHAN ''There's a way of dealing with hardships that are healthier than going out.''

Lindsay Lohan's decision to enter rehab during the shooting of her upcoming film I Know Who Killed Me may have added yet another obstacle to an already troubled production, but the actress insists that sobriety helped her performance in the psychological thriller.

The 21-year-old, who sparked a media frenzy in January when she checked into a Los Angeles area rehabilitation center for undisclosed treatment, claims that abstaining from drugs and alcohol has sharpened her skills as an actress. ''I noticed how much better I was,'' Lohan tells Entertainment Weekly. ''How much more clear my thoughts were, too.''

Insiders had been worrying about Lohan's emotional health ever since last summer, when a private memo from the CEO of Morgan Creek Productions concerning the actress' erratic behavior on the set of her upcoming film Georgia Rule was leaked to the press. There was even speculation that the actress' appendectomy in January, which temporarily forced production on I Know Who Killed Me to shut down, was a cover-up for drug-related problems. (Lohan really did have an appendectomy; director Chris Sivertson tells us he actually saw the scar.)

But despite a grueling shooting schedule and intense public scrutiny, Lohan claims that rehab helped her focus on the task at hand during filming. ''There's no distractions,'' she says of acting while sober. ''It just comes more naturally. It's not so much a job.''

Work isn't the only part of Lohan's life that has been affected by her recent experiences. Although recent paparazzi photos indicate that she hasn't quite given up her busy social life, the actress says she has found new outlets for her emotions. ''There's a way of dealing with hardships that are healthier than going out,'' she says. ''That's what I've learned.''