Macklemore prefers to work during the holidays to avoid relapse
Rapper Macklemore had no problem spending New Year's Eve (31Dec13) onstage in New York's Times Square, because work keeps his mind off the temptations of a drink and drugs relapse.
The Thrift Shop hitmaker, real name Ben Haggerty, has a history of alcohol and drug abuse problems, which resulted in a stint in rehab in 2008, and he admits the Christmas holidays are particularly tough as friends and family indulge all around him.
He tells ABC News, "For me, what is a temptation is coming home off
of the road, which is why this time period is interesting. This is
when I've fallen back before."
At his lowest point, Macklemore recalls feeling "isolation, broke,
depressed, no reason to really live", but he refuses to waste the
opportunities he has been given and now focuses on being "present"
to enjoy his career success.
He says, "I don't want to look back and be like, 'You had it all,
and you weren't even present for it. You weren't able to enjoy it.'
I want to be here, be now and be grateful."
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis joined Miley Cyrus, Blondie and Icona Pop
among the performers who bid farewell to 2013 in the middle of
Times Square as part of the televised special, Dick Clark's New
Year's Rockin' Eve.