(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Russell Brand gave up using drugs because they had a detrimental impact on his life.

The British comedian - who is married to American singer Katy Perry battled an addiction to drugs but has been clean since 2002 after realising the substances are no good for him.

Instead the 35-year-old actor has taken up meditation as a way of bettering his quality of life.

"Crack, heroin, they're all nice at first but in case you haven't noticed there are a few detrimental effects after that," the New York Post reported Russell said at the David Lynch Foundation Change Begins Within benefit.

The star attended the event with his new wife on his arm and revealed that he has been a big fan of meditative therapy for some time.

He particularly likes the ethos of transcendental meditation, which originated in India - where his marriage ceremony took place.

In his notorious tongue-in-cheek fashion, Russell attempted to describe the discipline and explain how it has given him a whole new approach to how he interacts with people on a daily basis.

"When someone says something stupid, instead of hitting them in the head with a baseball bat, you say, 'That's a really good idea. It's just not the right idea for this,'" he explained. (C) Cover Media