New Delhi, December 27: Johnny Depp has confessed that he indulged in excessive drinking in the 90s to deal with his superstardom.

The `Pirates of the Caribbean' star, who had then been dating hard-party-lover Kate Moss, revealed he let his wild side dominate him so that he could cope with the fame, reports China Daily.

He said: "I never wanted to be the guy people looked at. I felt I could only be myself when I was alone, that I turned into some kind of novelty. The only way I could get through that time was to drink.

"I poisoned myself with alcohol for years but I''ve never been into drugs in the way it was sometimes made out.

"I don''t think of myself as being a celebrity, it''s too mortifying. I have a hard time watching myself on screen and it''s getting worse. I can''t tell whether my work is good or not."

The 45-year-old Hollywood heartthrob further gave credit to partner Vanessa Paradis, mother of his two kids Lily-Rose and Jack, for showing him the light.

He added: "Meeting Vanessa gave me proper perspective and understanding. It wasn''t until then that things started to get real for me." (ANI)