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. Through consistency, hard work, and the desire not to relapse, Eminem got down to 149 pounds without destroying his body. In 2006, the death of his best friend, DeShaun “Proof” Holton, because of a shooting incident caused him deeper trouble. In 2007, Eminem suffered a huge setback when he nearly died after overdosing on methadone (as well-documented in his song “Arose” from his recent album Revival and “Deja Vu” from 2009’s Relapse).
Soon after, he started attending church meetings to get clean and enlisted Elton John as his AA sponsor. The ‘Without me’ artist admitted that his “doctor told (him that) the amount of methadone (he’d) taken was equivalent to shooting up four bags of heroin”. “Had I known it was methadone, I probably wouldn’t have taken it,” he told the magazine.
Living for His Children
He said that when he looked at his children, he realized that he needed to be present for them. In the 2012 documentary How to Make Money Selling Drugs, the rapper opened up about his struggles with addiction. Eminem has opened up about his addiction and sobriety many times over the past fourteen years, but the most comprehensive interview he’s done on the subject is likely a Rolling Stone piece by Josh Eells from 2011. The rapper also said that he replaced „addiction with exercise“ after ballooning to 230 pounds after his overdose.
All he has is fuzzy memories of the years when he continued to abuse drugs, remembering that he was taking more than 20 pills per day at one point. Eventually, the singer started mixing pills, including Xanax, Ambien, and Valium. When Eminem left rehab, he had gained a lot of weight, weighing up to 230 pounds. He understood that he needed to shed this weight while finding another way to be sober.
MORE: Eminem gushes over daughter Hailie: ‘She made me proud’
Eminem’s journey to sobriety was sparked by an overdose on pills in 2007, which spurred him to check into a rehab programme the following year. Also known as AA tokens, recovery medallions, sobriety coins or 24 hour chips – they are given out in the US to people during their journey to overcoming addictions. At the height of his addiction the rapper was reportedly taking up to 20 pills a day. Eminem has been sober sober rappers for 13 years, and has been in the rap game for even longer. In a new essay shared by XXL on Wednesday (Sept. 14), the rapper opens up about every step of his come-up, his struggle with addiction when he became famous and his future goals. He spoke about his battle further in a 2011 interview with GQ, revealing, at one point, he was taking 60 to 90 pills a day, „including Valium, Vicodin, Ambien, and Seroquel.“
- The singer later mentioned it in his song “Arose” from one of his albums called “Revival.” In Eminem’s own words, a delay of only two hours in getting medical treatment would have resulted in his death.
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- Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, was addicted to prescription medication and nearly died of an accidental methadone overdose in 2007.
- Eminem acknowledges having what he calls an addict’s brain, so he thinks of it as having replaced one addiction with another, healthier one.
His organs—liver, kidneys, and everything else—were already shutting down. As it was, his medical attendants did not think he would survive. When people attempted to tell him he had a problem, he didn’t believe them because he was using legally procured drugs, not heroin, cocaine or crack. 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.
The rapper reached 14 years sober this April.
Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, was addicted to prescription medication and nearly died of an accidental methadone overdose in 2007. The rapper, 47, announced he’s 12 years sober on Instagram and shared a photo of his sobriety https://ecosoberhouse.com/ chip. But, despite his overwhelmingly successful career, Eminem — like many artists before him — fell into the trappings of drug addiction. ‘In 2007, I overdosed on pills, and I went into the hospital,’ he told Men’s Journal in 2015.
- Soon after, he started attending church meetings to get clean and enlisted Elton John as his AA sponsor.
- The song was featured on Recovery, an album that Eminem dedicated to his battle to overcome addictions to Vicodin, Valium, Ambien and methadone between 2002 and 2008.
- „I got an addict’s brain, and when it came to running, I think I got a little carried away,“ Eminem told Men’s Journal.
- When people attempted to tell him he had a problem, he didn’t believe them because he was using legally procured drugs, not heroin, cocaine or crack.
- The 45-year-old said running and working out was key to giving him endorphins, which also meant he managed to sleep.
While the world knows about his successful music career, not many may be aware that he is an addict currently in recovery. „I got an addict’s brain, and when it came to running, I think I got a little carried away,“ Eminem told Men’s Journal. The Detroit native, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, has been public about his battle with prescription drug addiction over the years. It took multiple attempts at treatment before Eminem remained sober.
Eminem celebrates 12 years of sobriety: ‘I’m not afraid’
He knew he needed to lose weight and to find a way to function sober. Thus, he turned to running, which gave him a natural high and helped him sleep at the same time. The Grammy-winning rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, has used his work to express his relationship with various drugs. He stopped consuming narcotics including Vicodin, Ambien and Valium in 2008, a year after he had a methadone overdose. According to the singer, his kids inspired him and gave him enough strength to overcome the situation and successfully head toward recovery.