Russell Brand says he's still tempted by heroin

British comic Russell Brand says that his urge for heroin hasn't disappeared just because he's now sober.

In an essay for the recent edition of the U.K's The Spectator, Brand opens up about his cravings, his past and his need to be constantly vigilant about his addiction.

"The last time I thought about taking heroin was yesterday," Brand wrote.

Heroin 'fumigated my private hell'

Touting the drug's ability to "neutralize pain" and "transform a tight white fist into a gentle brown wave," Brand says that since his first use 15 years ago, it "fumigated [his] private hell."

Brand says that, after recently viewing a tape of himself years earlier for a documentary on substance abuse, it did not elicit feelings of gratitude about his sobriety today.

"Instead I felt envious of this earlier version of myself, unencumbered by the burden of abstinence," Brand wrote.

Brand hopes 'Give it Up' will change negative perceptions of addicts

Noting that his thinking is irrational, he concludes that all addicts are powerless over their addictions, and therefore unable to cope unless they are able to get treatment. He hopes that his charity, "Give it Up" - which helps fund treatment programs for addicts and alcoholics - will promote "a compassionate perception of drunks and addicts."

"Unless they have structured help, they have no hope," he said.

Source: E! Online

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