Eminem’s Sobriety: 17 Years & His Addiction Story

Eminem addiction first began when he started using drugs that many used to consider harmless since they were legally available. His journey to sobriety underscores the importance of recognising mental health struggles, seeking support, and finding personal motivation to heal. The rapper, with his unapologetic and sincere lyrics, has revealed the details of how alcoholism and prescription drugs almost murdered him. Then, after the 2006 death of his friend and fellow rapper Proof, Eminem said his “addiction went through the fuckin’ roof.” He said he had as many as “10 drug dealers at one time” and was taking “75 to 80 Valiums” a night. As his fame increased, and drugs became more plentiful — especially when he went on tour — Eminem said he started to realize he was battling addiction, but still managed to “keep it on the low and keep it together” as much as possible. At Asana, we offer effective, insurance-covered treatment for addiction and mental health, guided by experts who understand because they’ve been there.

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In the 2012 documentary How to Make Money Selling Drugs, the rapper opened up about his struggles with addiction. But this bluntness has helped raise awareness of the real dangers of prescription drugs. He is also an example of how dangerous prescription drugs can be. He even had an overdose that nearly cost him his life. His albums Relapse and Recovery were deeply influenced by his struggles with drug addiction. Eminem’s recovery involved rehab, fitness, and therapy.

Lessons from Eminem’s Journey: What We Can Learn

Eminem’s journey isn’t just a personal triumph; it’s a testament to the power of resilience and a call to action for a more compassionate and effective approach to mental health and addiction. “That was the first time I ever realized I had a problem with drugs and alcohol⁠,” Cooper recalled during a 2022 appearance on the Smartless podcast. “I first tried to get sober over 5 years ago, when the weight of my obsession with booze and drugs became too heavy for me to handle,” he wrote at the time. While the singer did use to drink alcohol heavily, he has been living a sober life for almost 13 years. Soon enough, he got serious about his recovery and started working with a rehab counselor while going through a highly uncomfortable detox program. Consequently, the rapper preferred to self-detox and work privately with a rehab counselor instead of seeking formal treatment.

When Eminem left rehab, he had gained a lot of weight, weighing up to 230 pounds. When experts started treating him, the heavy methadone dose was already shutting down his organs, including kidneys and livers. Following this, the singer experienced a major setback when he got involved in a major overdose involving methadone. Still, after persistent reminders from loved ones, he decided to attend rehab in 2005 but dropped it because of an unpleasant experience.

What impact did addiction have on Eminem’s music?

Initially, he used Valium for social anxiety, but over time, his dependence escalated to a dangerous cocktail of prescription medications. Yes, Eminem’s drug use began in the late 1990s as he struggled with the pressures of fame. These substances played a major role in his downward spiral and nearly cost him his life.

And while working on his 2009 album Relapse, which detailed his experience with sobriety, he felt empowered by his ability to leave his addiction behind. According to the singer, his kids inspired him and gave him enough strength to overcome the situation and successfully head toward recovery. According to him, the singer struggles with addiction to Ambien, Valium, and Vicodin. In 2011, Eminem publicly opened up about his struggles with addiction while giving an interview to The New York Times.

Eminem Addiction: The Near-Fatal Overdose Experience

He also had no recollection of how he eventually fell prey to addiction. The singer also acknowledged that the pills made him happier and more content. Eminem also starred in a documentary called “How to Make Money Selling Drugs,” where he talked about his struggles with addiction. His work is highly creative and includes brazen expletives and admissions that many people may find too extreme.

Eminem’s story reveals how depression can trap people in a harmful cycle of addiction, leading to devastating consequences like overdose. He became sober in 2008 and now treats sobriety as a strength, saying, “I started treating sobriety like a superpower and I took pride in the fact that I was able to quit.” Read ahead to know about his recovery journey and expert insights on depression and addiction. But he was also at the height of his drug addiction, as that’s when he overdosed — and according to Billboard, he tipped the scales at 230 lbs when he was in the throes of his addiction. In the piece, Em explained that drugs really only became a part of his life after the release of his 1999 album, The Slim Shady LP.

Overcoming Relapse and Finding Strength

In 2018, she recalled battling her addictions to sex and alcohol. “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction,” she wrote on Instagram two weeks later. “I got sober because of this guy,” he told the audience at the 2020 National Board of Review Annual Awards after Cooper presented him with a trophy. The Fight Club star spent years struggling with alcohol before Cooper helped him get sober. 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 told The Guardian, “Nothing seemed to reach or satisfy me. I remember waking up one morning in those dark days thinking, ‘Maybe it’s time for heroin, because nothing else is working.'” “Drinking caused weight gain,” he told Today in September 2022, “but it also weighed down my mental state.” The Backstreet Boys member tried drugs for the first time before filming the music video for 2000’s “The Call,” telling Good Morning America years later that he “was off the walls” during the shoot. The “Lose Yourself” rapper reflected on his prior prescription pill abuse in his 2025 documentary Stans, noting an overdose and missing his daughter Hailie Jade’s birthday party prompted a change. Moore, who sought treatment in 2012, thanked two unnamed people she “barely knew” for delivering something of an ultimatum to her to turn her life around.

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From hosting rehab support groups for fellow artists to funding recovery centers in underserved communities, Eminem’s post-addiction activism proves that survival often breeds the most potent forms of mentorship. Eminem’s cultural impact extends far beyond his lyrical prowess – his brutally honest storytelling about drug addiction has become a lifeline for fans grappling with similar demons. What are your thoughts on the role of public figures in destigmatizing mental health and addiction? However, it’s precisely this openness that can have a profound impact, normalizing conversations around mental health and addiction and encouraging others to seek help. The CDC reports over 107,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2022, highlighting the urgent need for accessible and effective treatment options.

• This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times.
• Overcoming addiction is possible, and maintaining sobriety is highly achievable in the long run.
• He described being caught in a “vicious cycle” where depression led him to take more pills, which only made things worse.
• In 2007, Eminem suffered a methadone overdose, but he got sober the following year.
• “I felt bad as a father,” the rapper added.

As for the documentary, fans lucky enough to grab a seat at AMC theatres for the limited time it aired got to hear the iconic rapper delve into his ‘complicated relationship’ between his ‘massive public persona’ and private life, the synopsis teases, with exclusive footage of Em himself. Mathers also spoke out about his road to recovery in an episode of Paul Rosenberg’s Paul Pod podcast in 2022, revealing how kicking the booze and drugs made him enjoy making music again as he felt genuinely ‘happy’. The father-of-three said he’s been sober for more than 17 years, which all started when he suffered a near-fatal overdose. His addiction to alcohol and pain pills began soon after graduating from high school and didn’t abate when his career began to take off. “Ryan has been battling from alcohol addiction for many years and unfortunately it has become a destructive pattern for him,” his rep told E!

The ‘STAN’ Documentary and the Power of Vulnerability

• What followed was a six-month relapse where he alternated between sobriety pledges and secret drug hauls stashed in bathroom vents.
• He also had no recollection of how he eventually fell prey to addiction.
• The two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champ has been open about her misuse of Adderall while battling injuries during her college soccer career.
• Read on for more stars who have gotten candid about their struggles with addiction.
• The singer acknowledged having an addict’s brain, so he simply recovered by replacing the harmful addiction with a healthier one.
• “I realized I’m not embarrassed anymore about sobriety.

She said her friends at the time “kind of cosigned” her drug use and “it just kind of becomes this dark pit, bottomless pit.” But, during the pandemic, Cyrus said she was noticing challenges and felt she wasn’t emotionally present. “It gave me so much structure in the time that I really needed structure, because I didn’t want to just be sitting around and stirring in my brain,” she told Rolling Stone. Cyrus shared in 2022 that she’s been in recovery for her Xanax addiction since 2020.

At the height of his career, while he was producing award-winning albums, he was battling alcohol and drug addiction. Get signed up today and discover how to unlock the grip of addiction and get back to living your best life. Eminem’s journey teaches us that addiction can affect anyone, but recovery is possible with support, discipline, and a willingness to change. He replaced drugs with exercise, running up to 17 miles a day, and leaned on support from Elton John and fellow artists like 50 Cent.

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According to the singer, he started using this pill to sleep peacefully between the shooting scenes but became dependent on them. With time, Eminem successfully lowered his body weight to 149 pounds without harming his body. This intense schedule soon took a toll on his health, and he tore his hip flexors. He understood that he needed to shed this weight while finding another way to be sober.

Jonathan is a recovery coach for Willow Springs Recovery in Texas. When he was better, the rapper tried to mix things up by incorporating Shaun T’s Insanity workout, P90X, and Body Beast into his routine. Too much of anything is not unequivocally healthy.

Doctors later confirmed the overdose had shut down his liver’s filtration system, requiring months of medical monitoring post-recovery. Grief-stricken and guilt-ridden over their recent estrangement, what was eminem addicted to Eminem began combining methadone with sleeping pills – a deadly mix that nearly ended his life. We can also anticipate a greater emphasis on preventative measures, focusing on early intervention and mental health education. Looking ahead, several trends are poised to reshape the landscape of addiction recovery.