CHRIS CORNELL from AUDIOSLAVE at The Austin Music Hall. Austin, Texas - 17.04.05

The former SOUNDGARDEN star admits his alcoholism and drug use was at its worst while he was recording Audioslave's eponymous debut in 2002 - prompting him to quit and later rejoin the group.

A 'breakdown' led to him seeking counselling for a substance abuse problem he developed over a decade ago when he fronted grunge gods Soundgarden.

He tells Spin magazine, "Realising how I was affecting people I cared about made a big difference. The other three members of Audioslave didn't know me that well, and when we started making the first record, I was pretty much at my worst.

"We were writing great songs, but then it got scary for them... I felt a sense of sadness and fear in them that made me wake up.

"It was being around people who weren't part of the bad part of my life that I then saw how bad it was."