'It's not actually that exciting to be f*****-up all the time' - Pete Doherty's battle with drug addiction continues

The Libertines frontman speaks about life in Paris ahead of the release of his film Confession d’un Enfant du Siècle

Pete Doherty turns to acting in Confession d’un Enfant du Siècle

Four years ago the Libertines and Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty moved to Paris to escape the London lifestyle that he said fuelled his addiction to heroin. But in an interview published today Doherty has admitted he is still hooked, despite attempts to reduce his intake.

"Being in Paris is me making a statement of intent. It's like saying: 'I'm trying,'” he told The Guardian.

His departure from London came after the musician tried an implant in his stomach to block the effects of the drug, three spells in prison, numerous attempts at rehab, at least 15 court appearances and more than 26 drugs charges.

He said one of the reasons he moved to Paris was “Because it's so difficult to get decent gear over here”. He added: “I've got to make an effort now for my family, my son, my father. I'm not 23 anymore, I'm 33, for Christ's sake! And the time has come, the walrus said, to speak of many things, not just smack."

The musician has been forging a new career as an actor. Speaking of trying to limit his heroin intake while filming Confession of a Child of the Century (Confession d’un Enfant du Siècle), in which he plays 19 century roué Octave, a character who, betrayed by his mistress, sinks into despair and debauchery, he said: "If I had a good whack in the morning then that would be 12–14 hours and then I'd generally have a little bit of something for insurance, just to keep my mind at ease. It's a psychological thing more than anything."

Speaking of why he chose to move to Paris, Doherty told The Independent earlier this year: "The media circus got a bit twisted when I was in London. It became a bit of a joke, really. In Paris, they're so serious I can take myself really seriously too. I can get really morbid without people telling me to cheer up."

In the latest interview he appears willing to adopt a healthier lifestyle. "It's not actually that exciting to be f***ed up all the time,” he said.

“The rush that you get from having a good night's sleep is so exotic: to feel powerful and clean, capable and potent, as opposed to washed up, impotent and mute. It's like if you sing and you've been up for four nights, your voice is puny and has no power. The difference when you've rested and had a banana in the morning, it's outrageous! You can scare yourself sometimes with what a bit of healthy living can do."

In July Doherty was reportedly asked to leave a rehabilitation facility in Thailand for disrupting the treatment of other patients. He had been due to stay at the £7,000 a month Cabin in Chiang Mai for three weeks undergoing treatment for heroin and crack cocaine addiction.

He has been in rehab previously in 2003, 2006 and 2007.

Confession of a Child of the Century is released in cinemas from 7 December 2012. The Independent's film critic wrote: "Tabloid bad boy Pete Doherty is perfectly cast in French director Sylvie Verheyde's Alfred de Musset adaptation...Pale-faced, and with top hat and cane, he projects an air of decadence and debauchery."