The 'Rebel Yell' hitmaker has admitted he was reckless when it came to drugs and alcohol back in the 80s because he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being "isolated" from humanity and living in his own "dimension."
Speaking to Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper, he said: "You are isolated in the world of drugs, you are kinda in your own dimension. The higher you get, the more isolated you are from humanity. I had a great time (being) like that then.
"Back in the 80s, we were living as if the world was going to end tomorrow. Substances and things like that, were par for the course."
However, the 63-year-old singer now limits his guilty pleasures to "red wine and the occasional joint" because he's starting to slow down with age.
He explained: "To be doing that now at this age, to be that out of it, would be ridiculous."
Billy recently said he gets his high now from being on stage and working out in the gym.
He told DailyMailTV back in June: "A lot of it is cardio. I have to do a lot of exercise because my stage performance, I don't just stand there. I'm full on engaged and you need all your breath. For a singer, you need a ton of breath. You have to be fit to be a singer. You can't just be up there. You'd have a heart attack and die on stage, which would be interesting, but I much prefer to get through the gig and do another one.
"So a lot of it is to do with being vital up there. Vital Idol, that was one of the names of my albums. So it's about vital out there. So I do as much as I can to give me the power, the energy, so I can get through the show and whatever age I am, I'm there."
