Macklemore opens up about his 2020 relapse to Dax Shepard: 'The disease of addiction is crazy'
Macklemore candidly discussed his struggle with sobriety with Dax Shepard on Monday, admitting that he relapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Appearing on the Armchair Expert podcast on Monday, the "Thrift Shop" rapper discussed his relapse with Shepard, who is also a recovering addict.
Macklemore said the September 2020 episode of the podcast, in which Shepard revealed that he relapsed after celebrating 16 years of sobriety, made him cry.
"I really, really resonated with the episode," the 37-year-old songwriter expressed, adding how amazed he was by Shepard's ability to be "vulnerable and honest" with his fans.
"It was within two months of my COVID relapse, and the disease of addiction is crazy," said Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty.
The Grammy winner furthered that speaking about the struggles with sobriety "lets other people feel that they're not alone."
"It made me feel, as someone that had relapsed again, like a month or two before, that I'm not alone," he said.
Macklemore, who revealed he first was sent to rehab in 2008, praised Shepard for helping him realize that a relapse is not a sign of failure and, because of that, he no longer counts how long he's stayed sober.
"I've spent most of the last 11 years in recovery, and it's made me who I am," he said. "I've compromised my life and other people around me, I've done things that I'm not proud of, but I do have that foundational level of 10 years of recovery, and I'm f------ proud of that."
Macklemore revealed last week that he and wife Tricia Davis are expecting their third child, who is due to arrive this summer. They share daughters Sloane Ava Simone, 5, and Colette Koala, 3.
