Macklemore revealed he has been sober for nearly two years after a relapse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I relapsed during the first summer of Covid,” the 39-year-old “Thrift Shop” rapper wrote in a TikTok video posted Sunday. “Today I have 694 days of clean.”
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, went shirtless in the video, showing off his chest tattoos. He dubbed the clip with his new song “Chant” featuring Tones and I.
He captioned the post, “I love you ❤️”, and added the hashtags “#recovery and #chant”.
Several of Macklemore’s TikTok followers shared their own stories in the comment section, to which the artist responded with words of hope and optimism.
“I am proud of you. My brother ODd and died 10 years ago. I am so broken. Broken is not big enough,” one person wrote.
“Sorry… I send love to you and your family. There are no words ❤️,” replied Macklemore.
“32 days today ✊🏻💛,” another commented, while Macklemore wrote back, “Great 🙏🏻.”
When another internet user asked what substances he was addicted to, the Grammy winner shared: “Everything that makes me feel different.”
Macklemore has been open about his substance abuse issues in the past, most recently rapping in “Chant”, “Almost overwhelmed that night in the hospital / Wasn’t going to die, more life in the arsenal / Got another chance to succeed the impossible.”
The Seattle native first shared on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast in April 2021 that he had relapsed during the pandemic, saying it was difficult to stay focused on sobriety when his 12-step program meetings were virtual.
“It was within two months of my relapse from COVID and the disease of addiction is insane,” he said at the time. “I’ve spent most of my recovery in the past 11 years and it’s made me who I am.”
He continued, “I’ve put my life and other people around me at risk. I’ve done things I’m not proud of, but I’ve got that basic level of 10-year recovery, and I’m proud of that.”
Macklemore first sought treatment for addiction in 2008. He relapsed in 2011 and again in 2014 and has also been open about a near-fatal overdose he survived.