The Charlatans' Tim Burgess believes he would've had a colossal catalogue of songs behind him if he hadn't abused drugs and booze.

The 'North Country Boy' hitmaker has been clean since 2006, but he has admitted he'd have likely made many more top quality tunes if he hadn't been under the influence.

Asked if he's always been positive, he said: ''I think I have, although the after-effects of alcohol and drugs were personality-distorting.''

Tim has been prolific over the years, with several solo albums and records with the band under his belt, among other side ventures, and he says the one thing that has changed is the ''need to feel fulfilled by doing good work''.

He added to The I newspaper: ''I think that's fair.

''I've always been compulsive.

''Now I have the need to feel fulfilled by doing good work. Imagine the work I could have had behind me if I hadn't done all the drugs?''

The 52-year-old rocker previously explained that he decided to quit drugs because he ''couldn't sing'' or ''fight any battles''.

Time realised he needed to get sober during recording for the group's 2006 album 'Simpatico' because he was completely ''incapacitated'' by his habit.

He said: ''I couldn't sing anymore. I stopped being able to sing.

''I really wanted [producer] Adrian Sherwood to do the album and there were other forces that got us to try and turn a dub-inspired album into a rock album and I couldn't fight the battle because I was incapacitated.

''So I couldn't sing and I couldn't fight any battles and the music wasn't as good, so that was when I made a conscious decision to change everything.''

His bandmate Mark Collins said: ''There were moments we just went, 'Tim, come back in the morning.'''

Tim booked into a hotel for a self-imposed detox but then need to go to the ''soul gym'' to build himself back up.

He said: ''I felt a bit like an empty shell for a while and I had to start building the stuff that makes the soul again.

''Coke's a rubbish drug and it does take the soul out of you. So I started going to the soul gym.''

Though Tim - who practices transcendental meditation - doesn't miss drugs, he doesn't regret his wild ways.

He added: ''I enjoyed the experimentation. I don't miss it and I don't recognise that person really, but I know that that person enjoyed it.

''I can't imagine ever going back there at all, but I enjoyed the ritual of going to try and find some drugs just to go out and DJ.

''I'd wake up in the morning and think about it, 'I'd better call early.'''