Lead singer Adam Gontier has stated that while he was addicted to the painkiller OxyContin, he was abusive and angry and had no idea who he was anymore. He wrote "Animal I Have Become" while in rehab for his addiction. Gontier also added, "'Animal I Have Become' is my realization that change had to happen, I had to ask for help." The band wrote a demo version of the song in 2004 while on a bus in Germany. Bassist Brad Walst spoke to Billboard about the song stating, "I remember saying [that] that riff would be great heavy. As soon as we got back to North America, we started jamming it as a heavy song, and it was like, 'Shit, I think we’ve nailed it.'"
