16 Years Strong: Eminem’s Sobriety Journey Continues to Inspire
Eminem took to social media on Saturday to celebrate 16 years of sobriety.
The 51-year-old rapper — who has been open about his struggle with substance abuse disorder — shared a photo of his hand holding a sobriety chip, a symbol of his ongoing commitment to recovery.
The coin featured an image of a tree and the inscription ‘Unity Service Recovery.’
‘We’re all proud of you,’ posted one follower, as another shared, ‘So so so happy for you, keep inspiring us!’
The 51-year-old rapper — who has been open about his struggle with substance abuse disorder — shared a photo of his hand holding a sobriety chip, a symbol of his ongoing commitment to recovery
In 2008, Eminem sought help for his addiction to substances such as Vicodin, Ambien, and Valium.
This change came after a methadone overdose incident a year prior.
In an interview with Vibe in May 2009, the Grammy-winning rapper detailed his addiction, estimating he consumed ‘anywhere between 10 to 20’ Vicodin daily in addition to massive doses of Valium, Ambien and other substances.
‘The numbers got so high,’ he said, ‘I don’t even know what I was taking.’
Regarding the overdose incident, he revealed that an ‘acquaintance’ provided him with medication, which he later discovered was methadone, a substance commonly used to help heroin addicts withdraw from the drug.
He confessed that his doctor informed him that the quantity of methadone he ingested was equivalent to injecting four bags of heroin.
‘Had I known it was methadone, I probably wouldn’t have taken it,’ he told the magazine. ‘But as bad as I was back then, I can’t even say 100 percent for sure … even when they told me I almost died, it didn’t click.’
In 2010, he dropped the album Recovery, which clinched the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album the subsequent year.
He spoke in more detail about his substance abuse disorder in 2015.
‘In 2007, I overdosed on pills, and I went into the hospital,’ he told Men’s Journal.
‘I was close to 230 pounds. I’m not sure how I got so big, but I have ideas.
The Detroit native, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, opted not to caption the Instagram post, which became flooded with comments from fans congratulating him on the milestone
In 2008, Eminem sought help for his addiction to substances such as Vicodin, Ambien, and Valium; seen in 2004
Eminem suffered a methadone overdose incident in 2007
‘The coating on the Vicodin and the Valium I’d been taking for years leaves a hole in your stomach, so to avoid a stomachache, I was constantly eating — and eating badly.’
‘When I got out of rehab, I needed to lose weight, but I also needed to figure out a way to function sober,’ he added.
‘Unless I was blitzed out of my mind, I had trouble sleeping. So I started running. It gave me a natural endorphin high, but it also helped me sleep, so it was perfect.
‘It’s easy to understand how people replace addiction with exercise. One addiction for another but one that’s good for them.’
