Ronnie Wood feels "the best [he's] ever felt"

Ronnie - who also stopped smoking nine years ago - told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "It was that little voice inside me. I was bleeding out of every orifice. And I thought, f****** hell, somebody's trying to tell me something, you know what I mean?

"And I had the wherewithal to listen to that voice, and say I'm going to get off the bus now, and doing it for myself. That's what it was...

"I feel the best I've ever felt [now]."

But going back on tour with the Rolling Stones sober was a "white-knuckle ride", though Ronnie is grateful for his bandmates for being "really supportive" of his recovery.

He said of his previous drink and drug habits: "Before going on [stage]. And during, and after. That's what it was for all those years. And then suddenly having to learn to fly."

He added: "The boys were really supportive. Mick was really supportive of me. We did some small shows, and I'd be there thinking, oh, God, we've got to go on, and he'd come up to me, 'You'll be all right, Ronnie.' It helped me get through."

And Ronnie admitted it is a "wonderful feeling" to have the support of "perfect strangers" thanks to "the fellowship" he has found at Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings.

He said: "The gathering of all those people, that street support, and that down-to-earth reliability and faith through people, the unity...

"It's a wonderful feeling to be able to rely on perfect strangers, from all walks of life. Suddenly we're all in the same lifeboat together, stranded at sea, and you pull together and come out the other end, if you're lucky. And that's what happened to me."

Ronnie's faith comes in the form of a "higher power" with his art, which always inspires him to "raise the bar".

He said: "I'm always looking to improve my attitude, and improve my character, and never lose ambition, you know? That's where that faith and hope comes in.

"And I think my higher power is my painting, which I can get lost in, and get inspired by, and music. Without music I would be totally lost. And to be part of a group of people whose higher power is that music, and to be on that plane together - the unspoken plane, you go there and you're lifted and you're speaking through the music. So with those two things, I'm blessed."