It took a near-death experience for Eminem to finally realize that he needed help with his drug addiction that, at one point, had him taking 75 to 80 Valium a night. He’s known as one of the greatest rappers of all time. But, despite his overwhelmingly successful career, Eminem — like many artists before him — fell into the trappings of drug addiction. Mental health struggles and the death of his former D12 bandmate Proof worsened Mathers’ drug use habits even more. However, Eminem was able to get sober by the end of the 2000s with the help of addiction treatment resources.

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He now opens up about the difficulties addicts face battling dependencies even with treatment. «It wasn’t like I was stumbling around all day,» he admitted. «I was fully functioning — I wrote more songs then than I do now. That was the scary part.» «Feeling thankful for the freedom that comes with breaking addictions and dependency on substance,» he added.

Tips For Staying Sober Under Pressure

• He persevered, slowly relearning his signature verbal dexterity and confronting emotions long buried by drugs.
• «We as Americans,» «Love You More,» a lot of songs ended up on the bonus disc because they leaked and that disappointed me.
• He’s won 11 Grammys and an Academy Award, and holds the record for the fastest-selling solo album in history.

«Clean dozen, in the books,» he captioned the snap of his coin at the time. In the piece penned for XXL, Em discusses the way that “everything changed” after he signed with Interscope and released his second studio album, 1999’s ‘The Slim Shady LP’. He describes how after he first relocated to Los Angeles, he and friends would go to Tijuana to purchase drugs such as Vicodin. «I had f—in’ 10 drug dealers at one time that I’m getting my s— from. Seventy-five to 80 Valiums a night, which is a lot.» Eminem acknowledges having what he calls an addict’s brain, so he thinks of it as having replaced one addiction with another, healthier one.

When people attempted to tell him he had a problem, he didn’t believe them because he was using legally procured drugs, not heroin, cocaine or crack. Ark Behavioral Health offers 100% confidential substance abuse assessment and treatment placement tailored to your individual needs. The Detroit rapper has been public about his battle with prescription drug addiction.

While comfortable in his sobriety, Eminem opens up about the windy roads it took to regain his voice without addiction steering. Through relentless persistence, he emerged stronger on the other side. However, despite his challenges, Eminem has been able to overcome his addiction and find recovery, celebrating 14 years clean now. «Drinking caused weight gain,» he told Today in September 2022, «but it also weighed down my mental state.» Crediting Arnett as «the reason» he went sober, Cooper added, «He took that risk of having a hard conversation with me that put me on a path of deciding to change my life.» She added, «It’s so funny. When we reveal ourselves and our truths and the things we’ve worked so hard for, it’s so liberating and vulnerable all at the same time.»

Treatment

After the success of his 1999 album The Slim Shady LP, he was wealthier and could buy any drugs he was interested in. He developed a preference for Vicodin, Valium, alcohol, and Ambien, admitting later he was unable to control his drug use. The addiction persisted for some time and even led to a scary incident in 2007, as those who listened carefully to his album Revival would know. And according to the ‘Lose Yourself’ rapper, he even suffered a near-fatal overdose. «I don’t think I actually realized the totality of what had happened,» he says, «so after I got out of the hospital … when I got home, I went right back to using again.»

• «And unable to keep my head up or keep my eyes open, because I was so far gone.»
• These traumatic experiences fueled later substance abuse issues and inner demons.
• The program follows a 12-step model that emphasizes the importance of admitting one’s inability to control substance use, seeking support from others, and making positive changes in one’s life.
• Now, the rapper has a routine with at-home workout DVDs.

At this point, a lot of the big achievements that could come in your career have happened for me already, so I don’t hyper-focus on numbers and being on charts. What I hyper-focus on is people like Kendrick Lamar, Joyner Lucas, J. Cole and Big Sean, and watching them and how the fuck they’re doing their shit. Because they’re also focused on being the best rappers. The problem was, in the recording process as I was getting more addicted to drugs, I was in more of a goofy mood. So now, I go make «Ass Like That,» «Big Weenie,» «Rain Man,» all those silly songs, which I’m writing in fuckin’ seconds at that point in time. I was just writing high and feeling good about what I’m doing because I got fuckin’ 20 Vicodin in me and this is fun to do, and I’m having fun, so fuck it.

What the fuck did Kendrick just put out,» he said. «I’ll hear some shit by them, and I’ll be like, Yo, I ain’t the best rapper right now. I need to fuckin’ get up, get back on my shit.» When I look back at my catalog, the first three albums, I’m definitely proud of them.

Eminem’s problem with painkillers started during the filming of his 2002 hit movie, 8 Mile. It’s Eminem’s 50th birthday, and as the iconic rapper reaches a major milestone, he also had another impressive anniversary this year. «I felt like I did a lot of growing up, and I don’t really feel like the last album really reflected where I was at mentally,» he says. Despite going back to drugs, the rapper says he was scared.

The Story Behind the Lyrics: Eminem’s Experience with Addiction and Recovery

After the sudden death of Mac Miller, the rapper—born Shad Moss—took to Twitter to let his fans know that he’d once struggled with a cough syrup addiction. «To the youth- Stop with these dumb ass drugs,» he began his series of tweets. «We cant lose no more of you. Not one! I love all yall. The young artist all the kids around the world.. dont follow a trend. Break the cycle. PEACE.»

Eminem Opens Up About Getting Sober Over a Decade After His Near-Fatal Drug Overdose

Em’s substance abuse escalated following the death of the rapper’s friend and D12 bandmate Proof in 2006, when he says his addiction “went through the fuckin’ roof”. Em recounts one point shortly after Proof’s death, when he fell over in his bathroom and woke up in a hospital “with fucking tubes in me and shit”, unable to talk or understand what had happened. I understood, at the same time, everybody’s perception of a White guy coming into hip-hop and all of a sudden things start happening for him. So, if XXL would’ve even had a conversation with me, maybe they would’ve eminem addiction understood me more. I had rappers left and right taking shots at me.

50 had to cover for me and answer every question. Eminem entered his first rehab program in 2005, but his drug abuse habits continued after Proof’s death in 2006. Eminem’s methadone overdose occurred in 2007, after years of heavy multi-substance abuse, rehab, and cases of relapse. Eminem’s full recovery occurred about 4 years after his first stint in rehab. “Just after Proof died, I was in my house by myself, and I was just laying in bed and I couldn’t move and I just kept staring at the ceiling fan. I literally couldn’t walk for two days when that happened and eventually my drug use fuckin’ skyrocketed.

I was just coming off The Eminem Show and the 8 Mile soundtrack and I started recording and had about seven or eight songs that were very much in the vein of what I do. But we ended up putting them out as a fuckin’ bonus disc because the songs leaked. If those hadn’t leaked, Encore would’ve been a much different album. «We as Americans,» «Love You More,» a lot of songs ended up on the bonus disc because they leaked and that disappointed me.

His mother battled addiction, and his father abandoned the family, contributing to Eminem’s reliance on music as catharsis. These traumatic experiences fueled later substance abuse issues and inner demons. Susana is a dedicated mental health writer and advocate with over 8 years of experience in the field. She is passionate about sharing accurate and helpful information about mental health, addiction, and recovery. Susana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Studies from Grand Canyon University and has over 7 years of professional experience working in the addiction recovery field. Her commitment to promoting mental health awareness and providing support to those in need is at the core of her work.

«If two people care about each other or love each other, they should have the right to be equally miserable,» he says. Recovery showcases a more mature, more tolerant Eminem. His rhymes contain fewer public jabs at celebrities and he’s even publicly stated support for gay marriage. His lyrics have drawn comparisons to the work of great poets, but the rapper, while flattered, says it’s strange for him to hear. «When I first recorded the record and dumped it all out, it was a little difficult to listen back to,» he says.

«And when I say we had the motherlode. Our pants were frickin’ stuffed with pills. I don’t know how many we had.» Eminem was eventually hospitalised in December 2007 following a methadone overdose, with doctors telling him he had ingested the equivalent of four bags of heroin. In a recent interview for manager Paul Rosenberg’s podcast, he discussed having to relearn how to rap following the overdose.