Shedding light on the early days of his career, the two-time Grammy winner said that he often turned to destructive vices when he hit the recording studio, reported The Guardian.
"When I had nothing to do but make music, it was very heavy. Drugs were a crutch for me. There were songs on my first record (House of Balloons) that were seven minutes long, rambling - whatever thoughts I was having when I was under the influence at the time," he said.
"I'll be completely honest with you. The past couple of albums, I do get back to that. Even on this new album. You have writer's block. And sometimes you're like, I can't do this sober.
"I had to get that little jump. And the ball started rolling. And then I didn't need it anymore... Right now, I feel in control. Where it takes me after, I don't know," he said.
Earlier this year, he canceled his supporting act on Rihanna's Anti World Tour to write "Starboy", which was released on November 25.