““It took a long time for my brain to start working again,” Em said of his accidental overdose on methadone. The rapper was fighting an addiction to prescription medication when he was hospitalised in December 2007 after overdosing on methadone before going to rehab. “My addiction didn’t start in my early days when I was coming up,” he explained in a personal essay for XXL in September 2022. “My drug usage started at the beginning of that first album.”
What was the turning point that made Eminem realize he needed help?
In 20072, Eminem hit rock bottom when he overdosed on methadone and was rushed to the hospital. This was a wake-up call for him, and he realized he needed to take his addiction seriously to continue making music and living his life. “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction,” she wrote on Instagram two weeks later.
- This helped him improve his overall physical and mental health, and he developed the tools he needed to overcome his addiction.
- After a short visit to rehab, a 2007 overdose and a relapse shortly after, the “Stan” rapper sought the guidance of a rehab counselor and has remained sober since 2008.
- But Eminem managed to get his life together and has successfully made his way through addiction recovery.
- ‘Didn’t you ask the doctors when I first started rapping again, didn’t you say, “I just wanna make sure he doesn’t have brain damage”?
- In 2006, the death of his best friend, DeShaun “Proof” Holton, because of a shooting incident caused him deeper trouble.
“I had absolutely no value for myself and this self-destructive path, it very quickly brought me to a real crisis point and it wasn’t clear at the time the reason. Maybe it was divine intervention.” “I am coming out that I’m what was eminem addicted to an addict,” Jax shared during the March 4 episode of Bravo’s Hot Mic podcast. “I have substance issues, primarily with cocaine. It’s hard to say out loud.” The now-51-year-old admitted he was able to downplay his addiction until it had gotten out of control, like when he was unable to answer questions during interviews. And it only got worse after friend and fellow rapper Proof died in 2006. Ultimately, Eminem got clean and sober, and he detailed this sobriety in the album “Recovery.” Read on to discover how Eminem achieved and maintained his sobriety.
- He is also an example of how dangerous prescription drugs can be.
- Having brushed aside accusations that he had a drug problem on the grounds that he wasn’t shooting heroin or smoking crack, the rapper fell dangerously deep into a substance habit that included Vicodin, Valium, and Xanax.
- This was a wake-up call for him, and he realized he needed to take his addiction seriously to continue making music and living his life.
After all, the Grammy winner shared that he has been sober for 16 years.
The Liverpool forward and his brother died this morning
“I overdosed in 2007, like right before Relapse came out”, Em once said in an interview with NPR. “I don’t think I actually realized the totality of what had happened”, he said, “so after I got out of the hospital … when I got home, I went right back to using again. … Music is so therapeutic for me that if I can’t get it out, I start feeling bad about myself – a lot of self-loathing. These problematic experiences profoundly impacted Eminem’s mental health and shaped his music as he used it as a catharsis to cope with his struggles. His childhood experiences also contributed to his later struggles with drug addiction and made his recovery journey all the more challenging.
“It was my decision to get clean,” Eminem raps on the 2010 track. “I did it for me. Admittedly, I probably did it subliminally for you, so I could come back a brand new me.” Eventually, Eminem lost 90 lbs and, per Billboard, he weighs 140 lbs today. Eminem acknowledges having what he calls an addict’s brain, so he thinks of it as having replaced one addiction with another, healthier one. Within a month of being released from the hospital, Eminem had a relapse.
Brit, 29, who fell ill moments after getting tattoo on hen do fighting for life in coma
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. One of Eminem’s most prominent struggles has been his drug addiction, which he has battled throughout his career. In an extensive piece for XXL Magazine, Eminem has offered a look back on his place in hip-hop and opened up about his struggles with drug addiction.
Apple Music Turns 10 and Honours Its First Interview Guest: Eminem
By entering your email, you agree to receive customized marketing messages from us and our advertising partners. You also acknowledge that this site is protected by reCAPTCHA, and that our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. And it is impossible to count how many people around the world found the strength to break free from addiction because of Em’s example. “At a point, I knew how amazing she was and I thought she would be incredible for someone who deserved her,” he explained during a March 2023 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, “and I didn’t feel like I was that person. I felt a little bit too crazy.” Although the Parenthood alum knows that “one of the things that you’re not supposed to do is get sober for somebody else,” his relationship with now-wife Melanie Lynskey was a major reason that led him to swearing off alcohol. A month later, Lovato was hospitalized for a near-fatal overdose.
Through relentless persistence, he emerged stronger on the other side. He stressed that it’s important for rappers to study what’s going on in hip-hop, and that it would foolish for him to ignore what some of the best rappers out are doing. While we do not know if Em will post his new AA chip this year (he shared it last year for the first time since 2020), fans everywhere are celebrating the date and what it represents.
“He was incredulous that he’d never noticed,” Curtis said, adding that she’s been sober ever since. The Princess Diaries alum shared in April 2024 that she is more than five years sober. As she told the New York Times, “That feels like a milestone to me.” Eminem, who has been sober since 2008, previously shared that he had been addicted to Vicodin, Valium and alcohol. The “Lose Yourself” rapper has celebrated his sobriety over the years, including in 2020, which marked his 12th anniversary. “Clean dozen, in the books,” he captioned the snap of his coin at the time.
The “heaviest” period of drug addiction spanned five years of his life, and he hit a rough patch after his D12 bandmate Proof died. “I had fuckin’ 10 drug dealers at one time that I’m getting my shit from. Seventy-five to 80 Valiums a night, which is a lot,” he added. “I don’t know how the fuck I’m still here. I was numbing myself.” 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. In a candid new interview, rap superstar Eminem reveals he suffered from a devastating drug addiction that led to him downing as many as 20 Vicodin, Ambien and Valium in a day.
Loved ones couldn’t help but share their excitement about the occasion, with longtime manager Paul Rosenberg writing, “Sweet 16. So proud of you.” Younger brother Nathan Mathers commented, “Greatest Influence and Mentor.” Eminem’s most recent studio album, “Music to Be Murdered By,” was released in 2020. On “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in March, Dr. Dre teased that the “Real Slim Shady” singer is working on a new album, “which is coming out this year.” 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. The Angry Blonde author recollected he was taking ’75 to 80 valium a night’ while he detoxed and worked on his album Relapse. Eminem has opened up about his near-fatal overdose and recovery.
Near Fatal Overdose
In 2007, Eminem suffered a huge setback when he nearly died after overdosing on methadone (as well-documented in his song “Arose” from his recent album Revival and “Deja Vu” from 2009’s Relapse). 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. Eminem is widely known as someone who does not mince his words. His creative outputs contain brazen admissions and expletives that several people find as too much.
In 2018, she recalled battling her addictions to sex and alcohol. Eminem opened up about the way his struggle with drug addiction was a constant, if unseen, presence throughout much of his early career in a new as-told-to in XXL. According to the rapper, if he made it to the hospital just two hours later, he would have died from the drug overdose. His organs—liver, kidneys, and everything else—were already shutting down. As it was, his medical attendants did not think he would survive. In 2006, the death of his best friend, DeShaun “Proof” Holton, because of a shooting incident caused him deeper trouble.
