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It hasn't been an easy couple of years for Swollen Members' Mad Child.
On top of struggling with drug addiction and money troubles, the hip-hop artist also found himself the target of police attention due to his friendships with Hells Angels members in Kelowna.
But thanks to last week's release of Swollen Members' latest album, Armed to the Teeth, and a cross-country tour, the rapper's ready to move ahead and put the worst behind him.
"It's good to be back on the road," he said via cell phone from his tour bus. "We're excited about [the tour]. It's three years in the making."
As for his "$500-a-day" addiction to Oxycontin, from which he has now been clean for four months, Mad Child was confident he'd kicked the habit for good.
"I really don't think about doing the pills anymore to be honest with you," he said, adding he's been downing Red Bull to stay energized while on tour.
"It's great. I haven't even been drinking."
Initially coming to terms with his addiction, however, wasn't an easy feat. It took his girlfriend leaving him and the concern of friends to finally make him realize he needed help.
"I was a zombie for the last two years," he said. "I wasn't really thinking about anything."
Coming out of that drug-induced stupor and facing the problems in his life head-on, including the death of his dog and his grandmother's illness, was the most painful part of rehabilitation.
"It's been hard for me," he admitted. "There's a lot of realities I had to face when I came back. That part's hard."
Also difficult was the police presence in his life at that time due to his association with Hells Angels in Kelowna.
"I don't apologize who my friends are," he said. "We're supposed to be living in a free country and we're supposed to able to pick our friends. It's my business who I know."
For now, Mad Child prefers to focus on his music and his upcoming stop in his hometown of Vancouver.
He also hopes his openness about his drug addiction will lead other addicts to recovery.
"You're going to have a crappy couple of days, I'm not going to lie to you, but life can go on," he said. "If you're going to get addicted to something, get addicted to your music."
Swollen Members plays The Red Room Nov. 12. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.