Hollywood star Nicolas Cage's life became a waking nightmare in his twenties - after he became addicted to experimenting with hard drugs.

The 44-year-old was thrown into a downward spiral of depression after he began taking illegal substances - but his desire for new experiences drove him to continue his drug use.

He says: "Drugs make every single nightmare you ever had come true. In my twenties I went through a period of drinking and drug-taking. It didn't make me happy but I wanted to experience them to know how they would make me feel.

"I never went to rehab, I never went through any form of AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). I went through years of experimenting and then hit the realisation that it just didn't work for me."