John Lennon on Drugs in the Early Days of the Beatles

"In Hard Day's Night, I was on pills. That's drugs, you know, that's bigger drugs than pot. I've been on pills since I was fifteen--no, since I was seventeen. Since I became a musician. The only way to survive in Hamburg, to play eight hours a night, was to take pills. The waiters gave you the pills and drink. I was fuckin' drop-down drunk in art school. I was a pill addict until Help!, just before Help! where we were turned onto pot and we dropped drink. Simple as that. I've always needed a drug to survive. The others too, but I always had more, I always took more pills and more of everything, 'cause I'm more crazy."