Eminem has reached 18 years of sobriety, celebrating the achievement by posting a photo of a coin commemorating the milestone.
The 53-year-old shared the news on Instagram on Monday, receiving congratulations from some of his industry friends, including Questlove, Big Sean, and scores of his fans. “Congrats my man! BTW, Nice t-shirt,” commented rapper and DJ D-Nice, as Eminem happened to be wearing the producer’s “To tha Rescue” shirt.
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Eminem, born Marshall Mathers, has long been open about his sobriety, which followed an accidental methadone overdose in December 2007. It was a culmination of years struggling with his addiction, which “started to become a problem” in the early 2000s while he was filming 8 Mile.
“I was taking so many pills that I wasn’t even taking them to get high anymore,” he told Rolling Stone in 2011. “I was taking them to feel normal. Not that I didn’t get high. I just had to take a ridiculous amount. I want to say in a day I could consume anywhere from 40 to 60 Valium. And Vicodin … maybe 20, 30? I don’t know. I was taking a lot of shit.”
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His addiction further spiralled following the death of his close friend Proof in 2006, leading to a wake-up call in 2008 and getting clean. Eminem sought out a rehab counsellor for weekly meetings and began running several miles a day. “I knew I had to change my life,” the Grammy winner explained to Rolling Stone. “I either get help, or I am going to die.”
From Rolling Stone US
