Teddy Swims no longer needs to "numb" himself with drugs and alcohol.

The 'Lose Control' hitmaker used to be "terrified" of sleep because he suffered from nightmares so he found it far easier to go out partying than to confront his problems, but after turning to therapy, he has a much more healthy relationship with drinking.

He told People magazine: "I was drinking a whole lot. It was a lot of substance abuse, too.

"I was terrified of sleep because I was having these nightmares all the time. [I was] doing whatever it took to stay up and not face whatever was in front of me. Staying around people all the time, partying way too often, never being alone and never dealing with myself.

"I'm not using it for this emotional crutch anymore. I mean, I definitely love drinking my tequila and I love to pop me a Miller High Life. Don't get me wrong!

"But it's not so much of a necessary tool. I don't need something to numb me anymore. I'm not numbing or running away from anything."

The 32-year-old singer -whose real name is Jaten Collin Dimsdale - is expecting his first child with partner Raiche Wright and she insisted they attend couples therapy together before embarking on parenthood.

He said: "She was like, 'Look, we're going to have a baby. I want to get our communication as proper as we can, make sure we're both communicative and bringing this baby into the safest, sweetest home environment.'

Teddy hopes being open about his struggles and experiences will help to destigmatize the conversation around mental health.

He said: "It's like if something's wrong with your arm or your leg, you go to a doctor for that. Why don't you do that for your mind?

"I wanted to kind of open up the conversation about therapy, and I felt that there was this generational thing [where] we felt like we can't talk about therapy, or going to therapy is crazy and you're crazy if you need it. I think it's something truly everybody could benefit from."

Teddy hopes his latest album, 'I've Tried Everything But Therapy, Part 2', shows how he has turned his life around in the two years since he released '...Part 1'.

He said: "In the first album, I was really in a really dark place, and I was coming at it from a really tough heartbreak, and writing all these songs about it. And I just was not spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally -- all was unhealthy.

"As I was kind of going through my healing journey writing Part 2, there's a lot of unlearning that you're hearing in it.

"I've gone to therapy! I've tried it. I've fallen back in love, and I've got a child on the way, and there's so many successes.

"And I just hope that I showed myself, but also the listener that on the other side of all that mess and heartbreak, that there's all this love and support and family and all these good things, if you just stick to the course and just don't let that kill you."