Well-known rapper, Marshall Mathers famously known as ‘Eminem’ has gained massive success in the music industry over the years. While he is famous for his music and top hits such as “My Name Is” and “The Real Slim Shady,” he has also been extremely open about his struggles with a past of drug addiction to prescription opioids. On April 20th of 2018, Eminem celebrated his tenth year of being sober. The Eminem drug addiction recovery story is an especially inspiring one.
The Eminem Drug Addiction Recovery Story
Through a post on Twitter, Eminem boasted a proud photo of his ten-year medallion. “Celebrated my 10 years yesterday,” the tweet read. Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous give out medallions or coins to members when they reach each milestone in their recovery. While many medallions are given for each year mark, they are also given for month marks as well. For people in recovery, these medallions can be a great reminder of how far someone has come, as well as be a proud keepsake.
Through his recovery journey, Eminem has done several interviews openly discussing his time in his addiction. In one interview, he revealed that at the peak of his addiction, he was taking up to 60 Valium and 30 Vicodin pills in a single day. Eminem’s addiction developed slowly over time — until it became his entire life — and he hit his bottom. “I don’t know at what point exactly it started to be a problem. I just remember liking it more and more,” he explained.
Hitting Rock Bottom
In 2007, the rapper entered hospitalization for overdosing on methadone. “The doctors told me I’d done the equivalent of four bags of heroin,” Eminem explained, “They said I was about two hours from dying.” Many addicts say they must ‘hit their bottom’ before getting the help, support and care they need to overcome their addiction. For Eminem, he has stated several times that his bottom was truly the moment he was told he’d likely not live another two hours. “My organs were shutting down. My liver, kidneys, everything… They didn’t think I was going to make it. My bottom was going to be death,” he says.
On April 20, 2008, the ‘Real Slim Shady’ rapper hospitalized himself and then went through a drug rehabilitation program where he began therapy, got a sponsor, and began the full 12-step program toward his recovery. Since then, he has been open about his recovery journey with the world. “Getting clean made me grow up,” Mathers said in an interview with his friend Elton John, “I feel like all the years I was using, I wasn’t growing as a person.”
For many people in recovery, seeing someone such as Eminem battle addiction can be inspiring and motivational. After his initial tweet, millions of people — a majority of whom stated they were also in recovery — tweeted back at him with congratulations and gratitude for the inspiration he has provided.
After 10 years in recovery, Marshall Mathers seems to be proud of how far he has come. It is a reminder, to many still struggling, that long-term recovery is possible even when it seems so far out of reach.
Beginning Recovery
If you want to begin an Eminem drug addiction recovery journey of your own, you have to start with the best drug detox Orange County has to offer. At Morningside Recovery Detox Center, we offer comprehensive residential detox programs in a pet friendly drug detox facility. To learn more, call us today at 855-283-3118. Don’t wait another day and begin your journey today.
