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

«And I’m allowed to be on them at some dosage because I have a prescription and then I’m also augmenting that.» While accepting the 2018 Woman of the Year Award by the Peggy Albrecht Friendly House, a residential program for women recovering from substance and alcohol abuse, Moore spoke about the «self-destructive path» that nearly derailed her career. The Valley star shared his decades-long battle with drugs in March 2025 after going to rehab. Eminem isn’t the only star to open up about their addiction and sobriety. «I remember when I first got sober and all the s–t was out of my system,» he reflected on the Paul Pod podcast in September 2022.

What was the turning point that made Eminem realize he needed help?

He describes how after he first relocated to Los Angeles, he and friends would go to Tijuana to purchase drugs such as Vicodin. Articles and interviews suggest that Eminem committed to sobriety after his near-fatal overdose, motivated by the life-threatening experience and responsibility to his family. His albums Relapse and Recovery focus on themes of Eminem’s reputation and battles with drug addiction. In 2006, Mathers’ former bandmate and friend Proof Mathers died from a shooting incident. Mathers’ drug abuse worsened at this time, and he recounted how he had about 10 drug dealers at this time. In a 2022 interview with XXL magazine, Eminem opened up about his drug usage early in his career.

Eminem pens lengthy reflection on struggles with addiction: “I don’t know how the fuck I’m still here”

Eminem’s problem with painkillers started during the filming of his 2002 hit movie, 8 Mile. And according to the ‘Lose Yourself’ rapper, he even suffered a near-fatal overdose. It’s Eminem’s 50th birthday, and as the iconic rapper reaches a major milestone, he also had another impressive anniversary this year. The songwriter admitted in an interview with Vulture in 2017, that the music he created while addicted and in recovery were not his best. Eminem acknowledges having what he calls an addict’s brain, so he thinks of it as having replaced one addiction with another, healthier one. Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, has been sober since April 2008.

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He said that when he looked at his children, he realized that he needed to be present for them. 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. The incident led him to seek other medication, including Vicodin, to help him relax at the end of the day and help him get some sleep. Eminem acknowledged that all the pain he was feeling seemed to go away after taking the pill.

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The Detroit rapper has been public about his battle with prescription drug addiction. Shifting his attention to where he sees himself in the world of hip-hop these days, he said he simply strives to “always try to be the best rapper.” “I can’t do that until I listen to what the fuck J. 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. 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. It took painful relapses and reflections before Eminem relearned how to rap without dependency’s grip.

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. «Unless I was dead, I better show up,» she quipped, adding that she was given «a chance to redirect the course of my life before I what was eminem addicted to destroyed everything.» «I don’t discuss this a lot,» he said during a May 2024 podcast appearance. «I discuss it every now and then when it makes sense. I’m 39 years sober. I got sober Feb. 23, 1985.»

• 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.»
• Although it wasn’t easy, sobriety was a pivotal decision in Eminem’s life.
• Every individual can find something that works for them and their needs.
• It’s Eminem’s 50th birthday, and as the iconic rapper reaches a major milestone, he also had another impressive anniversary this year.
• He persevered, slowly relearning his signature verbal dexterity and confronting emotions long buried by drugs.

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

Cyrus shared in 2022 that she’s been in recovery for her Xanax addiction since 2020. «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. 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. Em goes on to recount one story from that time period, when he performed for BET’s 106 & Park with 50 Cent and G-Unit and was interviewed afterwards.

With the dual releases of her fourth studio album No Shame and memoir My Thoughts Exactly, the singer spent much of 2018 getting brutally honest about the height of her addition problems. The Fight Club star spent years struggling with alcohol before Cooper helped him get sober. «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. 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. «I was completely nodding off and falling asleep,» she recalled.

• Eminem recently celebrated 14 years free of a growing drug addiction that marked his early fame.
• Eminem, also known as Marshall Mathers, is a well-known rapper known for his lyrical prowess and ability to express his struggles through his music.
• 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.
• These traumatic experiences fueled later substance abuse issues and inner demons.

The «Without Me» rapper, 51, shared on Instagram that he has been sober for 16 years. He marked the anniversary without comment, posting a photo of himself holding a recovery chip that reads, «Unity, service and recovery.» Eminem weighed close to 230 pounds at the height of his addiction to drugs in 2007, and in a new interview, Em told Men’s Journal he has a good idea of how he got there. After 14 years of sobriety, Eminem’s monumental recovery exemplifies that persistence through hardship can uplift you and make you stronger. Despite losing nearly everything to addiction, he emerged refocused with tools to thrive in clarity. Eminem’s recovery brought profound challenges, including intense addiction cravings, cues from fame, and painful relapses.

It took painful reflections before clarity emerged after years of being numbed by addiction. During his time in rehab, Eminem underwent a rigorous detox program that included counseling, therapy, and other forms of support. He also embraced a new, healthier lifestyle, which included regular exercise and a more nutritious diet.

He is also an example of how dangerous prescription drugs can be. Eventually, Eminem lost 90 lbs and, per Billboard, he weighs 140 lbs today. «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.»

In the 2012 documentary How to Make Money Selling Drugs, the rapper opened up about his struggles with addiction. 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. 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 real Slim Shady is 11 years sober and commemorated the occasion by posting a picture of a sobriety coin to Twitter and Instagram.

The article comes not long after Em shared his experience of a near-fatal drug overdose 15 years ago in an interview with Paul Rosenberg. «“It took a long time for my brain to start working again,” Em said of his accidental overdose on methadone. Shortly after detoxing, he suffered a knee injury that required surgery, but because of his drug abuse, he was not prescribed pain killers.