Eminem celebrates 16 years of sobriety after he almost died from overdose
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic/Getty / Instagram/eminem
Eminem has been commended for his latest success after sharing that he has been sober for over 16 years.
Eminem - born Marshall Mathers III - has been open and candid about his life.
This includes his difficulties dealing with substance addiction - which started in 2002 during the filming of 8 Mile.
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Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2011, he said they were 'doing 16 hours on set' so there was a 'certain window' where he could sleep.
"One day somebody gave me an Ambien, and it knocked me the f**k out. I was like, 'I need this all the time'." he said.
He'd also admitted that he'd taken drugs such as Vicodin, valium and Ambien.
Eminem has also previously spoken about the experience that saw him turn his life around - a near-fatal overdose in 2007 after ingesting a massive dose of methadone.
In 2022, when he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he spoke about how he 'almost died' during his acceptance speech.
"Music basically saved my life … I'll keep this as painless as possible. I'm f–king stuttering and s–t. I'm probably not supposed to actually be here tonight because of a couple of reasons," he said. "I almost died from an overdose in 2007, which kind of sucked."
In a post on his Instagram page over the weekend, the rapper shared an image of a coin marking the milestone.
The coin featured the number 16 written inside a triangle with the words 'Unity,' 'Service' and 'Recovery' written in a circle.
And fans praised Eminem for his achievement, with one person writing: “Congratulations and thanks for sharing, especially to the ones who are trying to get through Day 1.”
“Cheers to 16 yrs, tomorrow will be 33 years clean, keep up the great work, keep your head held high you deserve it,” another wrote.
“The most Sacred commitment to oneself, congratulations to you! And to you all here reaching different milestones & celebrations,” a third commented.
As well as fans, some celebrities also joined in on congratulating the musician.
“Sweet 16. So proud of you,” wrote Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg.
“Greatest Influence and Mentor,” added Em’s brother, Nathan Samra-Mathers.
While musician Ekoh said: “BIG DEAL. Congrats man thanks for being an example.”
The 'Lose Yourself' rapper credited his children, Hailie Jade, Alania and Stevie, with helping him stick to sobriety, as well as 'replacing addiction with exercise'.
“The coating on Vicodin and Valium I’d been taking for years leaves a hole in your stomach,” he explained in an 2015 interview with Men’s Journal.
“So to avoid stomachache, I was constantly eating — and eating badly.”
He continued to say: “So I started running.
“It gave me a natural endorphin high, but it also helped me sleep, so it was perfect.”