Dennis Quaid Reveals Why He Made a Gospel Album: 'Self-Reflective, Not Churchy' (Exclusive)

After his struggle with addiction early in his career, Dennis Quaid turned to faith and spirituality for solace. Now, he's ready to share his findings through his upcoming debut gospel record Fallen: A Gospel Record for Sinners.

Speaking to PEOPLE for this week's cover story, on newsstands Friday, the 69-year-old singer and actor opened up about what inspired him to create the new record.

"I grew up at the Baptist church. I love the hymns that come from there. Then I've written some songs that are very much in the faith category," he tells PEOPLE exclusively. "I guess what
really spurred it was 'On My Way to Heaven,' which I wrote for my mom when I got out of what I call
cocaine school back in 1990 to let her know I was OK, because I wasn't OK before then."

He continues, "Addiction and all that. We used things to fill a hole inside us. That's what we do."

The actor has been open about his struggle with cocaine addiction in the past.

"I was basically doing cocaine pretty much on a daily basis during the '80s," he said on Megyn Kelly Today in 2018. "I spent many, many a night screaming at God to 'Please take this away from me and I'll never do it again, cause I've only got an hour before I have to be at work.' Then at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, I'd go, 'Oh it's not so bad.' "

In 1990 , he decided to get help and went to rehab.

"I remember going home and having a white light experience that I saw myself either dead or in jail or losing everything I had, and I didn't want that," he says.

After his treatment, Quaid says he felt he needed "fill that hole" with "something that really works" after addiction. He turned to faith and spirituality by studying the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita and the Quran and found that he was "struck" by the words.

"I started developing that personal relationship [with God], so the songs started to come out.
They're self reflective, self examining yourself, and also just where you are spiritually and
in life," the "Crazy Arms" singer says. "They're not churchy. That's the thing I think I'm trying to get to."

He continues, "All of us have a relationship with God, whether we're you're a Christian or not. We all
have a relationship with him. It may not be good, or you may not even believe, but you're still in relationship to that side of yourself."

The album, which he wrote a couple years back, is about "looking around, trying to fill that hole in life with everything that the world has to offer."

The Parent Trap actor hopes fans "like the music" for what it is and that they "see themselves" when listening to it.

Fallen: A Gospel Record for Sinners, which includes the previously released singles "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and "Why Me Lord" is out Friday.