Steven Tyler now admits that he was fighting a dependency on pain and sleep medication when he checked himself into rehab last month, though the Aerosmith vocalist first said he sought the "safe environment" of rehab to recover from several foot surgeries and foot therapy.

"To have your feet done, to have your leg done, you have to be on narcotics," Tyler said in an interview Friday night to promote his band's participation in 'Guitar Hero 3: Aerosmith.' "You have to be on sleep aids at night. I don't know about Joe [Perry] but I was off and running and I didn't like the me that was me."

"This was a month ago, so I just put the brakes on and checked into detox and just pulled the plug on all of it," Tyler, now 60, explained. In May, the legendary rocker disclosed his aforementioned medical procedures were to correct longtime foot injuries resulting from his physical performances.