Eminem is celebrating a milestone in his sobriety journey.
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, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, has been sober since April 2008. Between 2002 and 2008, he struggled with an addiction to Ambien, Valium and Vicodin, according to Rolling Stone.
On the “Paul Pod: Curtain Call 2” podcast in 2022, the rapper looked back on his near-fatal 2007 drug overdose, a time when he was taking “75 (or) 80 Valium a night,” and said he isn’t sure how he survived. The year after he got clean, he released his sixth studio album, “Relapse.”
On the podcast, Eminem shared he felt “really happy” after the drugs left his system. Making “Relapse,” he added, was the first time “that I had had fun recording in a long time,” though he had to relearn how to rap.
“It took a long time for my brain to start working again,” he said.
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Eminem has commemorated his sobriety milestones on social media over the years. In April 2020, he celebrated that he was 12 years sober, writing, “Clean dozen, in the books!” He added, “I’m not afraid,” referencing his song “Not Afraid.”
“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.”
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Eminem received many supportive comments on his latest sobriety post, with music manager Paul Rosenberg writing, “Sweet 16. So proud of you.” Nathan Mathers, Eminem’s brother, also commented that he is the “greatest influence and mentor,” while chef Andrew Zimmern posted, “Love it my brother. Stay awesome.”
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.”
