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For Macklemore, recovery to him looks like having a service outlet where he’s helping others, speaking about addiction, going to meetings, and being an active member of the recovery community.

“I didn’t realize that there was this massive recovery community of people that had the same disease as me, that spoke the same language, that were there to help and show up and greet me with a hug even if I relapsed, that they understood, that there was no judgment,” he said.

With September marking National Recovery Month, Macklemore, who was named the creative director of Yerba Maté brand CLEAN Cause earlier this year, designed an exclusive can with the brand, in which 100 percent of the proceeds will go to addiction and recovery housing scholarhsips (typically, the brand donates 50 percent).

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Joshua Sammer/Getty Images for Superbloom
PHOTO: Macklemore performs live on the second day of SUPERBLOOM Festival 2022, on Sept. 4, 2022 in Munich.
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“They have the mission of helping other people and they’re taking a step forward and making it about actually serving a community that is so drastically in need of funding,” he said. “It’s been so cool to work with them as a creative director, to just feel that spirit of people that are actually out there wanting to change the world and seeing that we have so much work to do and actually putting money and resources behind others that need help.”

“In 2008, the idea of speaking about the disease of addiction, as a disease, hadn’t really become commonplace,” he added. “Mental health, therapy -- all of these ways that now, today in 2022, are more used phrases or ways in seeking help, hadn’t really been discussed publicly and I leaned into it. I think that when we do that and we share openly and honestly, then the stigma lessens and the disease of addiction is put at rest momentariy when we’re talking about it.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). SAMHSA's National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service.

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