Eminem struggled to perform sober after quitting drugs and alcohol.
The 41-year-old rapper - who was hospitalised after a suspected methadone overdose in 2007 - sought the help of a rehab counsellor in April 2008 and admitted his heavy drinking and substance abuse left him confused about how to "connect" with an audience.
Speaking to Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1, Eminem said: "I was so trapped in my own head. I think that back then it was so big in my head, it was like, 'f**k man' let me take this and drink this and get through it as opposed to going out there and actually being able to see the people and connect with the crowd and have fun with it."
However, the 'Berzerk' star eventually adapted to his sober state and was able to perform to audiences that he could "actually see."
He said: "I don't think on the 'Relapse' record or on that whole album run - I don't think that it was something that I jumped right back into. It was like smaller shows here and there, let me get my feet wet again. It took a minute but the more you do it, it just becomes second nature. Now I can look out and I can see the crowd and I can actually see the people. I can see what people look like."
Eminem admitted he is unsure of what to expect from the future but knows he'll never quit music completely.
He said: "I don't know what the plan is for the near future but I do know there'll be other things coming up, other projects things like that that I'll probably get into working on. I always write and I probably always will.
"At whatever point I decide I'm probably going to put the mic down, whatever happens with that, I do feel I always want something to do with the music. So whether it's producing or whatever ends up happening I just want something to do with it. Music is always going to be in my head along with myself that's trapped in it."