Initially, he used Valium for social anxiety, but over time, his dependence escalated to a dangerous cocktail of prescription medications. Yes, Eminem’s drug use began in the late 1990s as he struggled with the pressures of fame. These substances played a major role in his downward spiral and nearly cost him his life.
Down the Path of Drug Dependence
“He don’t even notice it’s drugs in here though. He don’t know, but in my head it’s like, him even just saying he want the same soda I want. It’s just like, ‘Oh no, I’m influencing him.'” I started reading this book called Man’s Search for Meaning and it’s about suffering and reframing it and it changed my life.” Years later, he reflected on his journey with addiction and the lengths he went to hide the his struggle. But I have finally done what has been suggested amongst the sober community, and my life has flipped in a positive way.” After the Backstreet Boys member relapsed in 2021, he noted he “got sober again for the last time.” I started treating sobriety like a superpower and I took pride in the fact that I was able to quit.”
And after quitting the drug, he soon turned to alcohol—only to also quit that dependency. The star of Hunt for Red October does not often speak to his sobriety journey, which began almost forty years ago. “I had so much such better mental clarity. I felt healthier. I felt fitter.”
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For some, his intense lyrics are fun and comical but can be relatable to many people currently in similar situations. However, despite all the struggle, he managed to put his life together and recover. While the world knows about his successful music career, not many may be aware that he is an addict currently in recovery. Born as Marshall Bruce Mathers III, Eminem is a rapper, songwriter, music producer, actor, and record executive born on 17 October 1972 in Missouri.
Eminem On Drug Addiction And Recovery
- Yes, Eminem’s drug use began in the late 1990s as he struggled with the pressures of fame.
- The “Lose Yourself” rapper reflected on his prior prescription pill abuse in his 2025 documentary Stans, noting an overdose and missing his daughter Hailie Jade’s birthday party prompted a change.
- After the sudden death of Mac Miller, the rapper—born Shad Moss—took to Twitter to let his fans know that he’d once struggled with a cough syrup addiction.
He also had no recollection of how he eventually fell prey to addiction. The singer also acknowledged that the pills made him happier and more content. Eminem also starred in a documentary called “How to Make Money Selling Drugs,” where he talked about his struggles with addiction. His work is highly creative and includes brazen expletives and admissions that many people may find too extreme.
Drew Barrymore Breaks Family Alcohol Abuse Cycle; Symptoms To Look Out For In Alcohol Misuse
“And it would work a couple days—and then somebody throws a party.” “It wasn’t like I was stumbling around all day,” he admitted. The country star has been sober for nearly a decade, but it was a hard-fought road getting there. News, he now sees that sobriety is ultimately a personal choice.
- Eminem was subject to a maniacal spiral of depression that resulted in intensified addiction and it can be backed by scientific studies.
- As for the documentary, fans lucky enough to grab a seat at AMC theatres for the limited time it aired got to hear the iconic rapper delve into his ‘complicated relationship’ between his ‘massive public persona’ and private life, the synopsis teases, with exclusive footage of Em himself.
- Congratulations to Eminem for celebrating so many years of sobriety!
- “For the last eight weeks maybe, I don’t really know…I’m on them all day,” he said on his Armchair Expert podcast.
- Things really got bad in between 2000’s The Marshall Mathers LP and 2002’s The Eminem Show, when he was taking a mix of Vicodin, Valium, and alcohol.
The drugs can further imbalance the chemicals in the brain, causing the depression to get worse. Human beings go into using the substances in an attempt to self-medicate their depression, but this can result in tolerance, drug reliance, and even overdose. In his recent documentary Stans, Eminem reveals the dark moments of his addiction journey.
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In October 2025, the Migos member shared he was four years sober from codeine—an opioid used to make the soda-based drink sizzurp—after a “wake-up call” from his teenage son Jordan. The two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champ has been open about her misuse of Adderall while battling injuries during her college soccer career. I was replacing those bottles in the bar all the time.” “I knew how to get wasted enough to where I took myself out of the life equation, took myself out of the present, didn’t have to connect in a way that made me feel things.” He continued, “After some fits and starts, I’ve managed to put together one year of sobriety. In October 2018, the American Pie star announced he was one year sober in a celebratory and encouraging Instagram post.
The 2007 Turning Point: From Relapse to Recovery
Eminem acknowledges having what he calls an addict’s brain, so he thinks of it as having replaced one addiction with another, healthier one. By the time he left rehab, Eminem weight had ballooned to 230 pounds. He says he was awake for three weeks straight, 24 hours a day, and had to relearn how to perform fundamental tasks such as talking and walking, but also that he “could be naturally happy without being on something” and that “It does get better”. It was his kids that inspired him and gave him the strength to triumph over his situation and successfully go through addiction recovery. It happened because the rapper was working long hours with little time to rest.
Barrymore later explained to the Los Angeles Times that she doesn’t use the “sober” label because she doesn’t want people to think she’s “some perfect Puritan.” In 2018, the Halloween star got very candid about her 10-year addiction to opiates, which began in the late ’80s after a minor plastic surgery “for my hereditary puffy eyes.” The reslt was a prescription that changed her life. I started treating sobriety like a super power and I took pride in the fact that I was able to quit.” Eventually, channeling his energy back into his music helped the Oscar winner on his sobriety journey.
His openness, coupled with the evolving landscape of recovery resources, offers a beacon of hope for those struggling with similar challenges. Digital health technologies, such as telehealth, mobile apps, and virtual reality therapy, are expanding access to care and providing innovative support tools. Personalized medicine, leveraging genetic and biological data to tailor treatment plans, is gaining traction. The synopsis highlights “stylized recreations, rare archival footage, and intimate interviews,” suggesting a deeply personal and revealing exploration of his life and career. Traditional narratives around addiction often focus on deprivation and struggle. What sets Eminem’s story apart is his reframing of sobriety.
When Eminem left rehab, he had gained a lot of weight, weighing up to 230 pounds. When experts started treating him, the heavy methadone dose was already shutting down his organs, including kidneys and livers. Following this, the singer experienced a major setback when he got involved in a major overdose involving methadone. Still, after persistent reminders from loved ones, he decided to attend rehab in 2005 but dropped it because of an unpleasant experience.
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“I got into this vicious cycle of, ‘I’m depressed so I need more pills,’ and then your tolerance gets so high that you end up overdosing,” he said. He described being caught in a “vicious cycle” where depression led him to take more pills, which only made what was eminem addicted to things worse. Years passed, and Eminem experienced the raw reality of living in the vicious cycle of being depressed, which drove him to the intensive consumption of pills.
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And while working on his 2009 album Relapse, which detailed his experience with sobriety, he felt empowered by his ability to leave his addiction behind. According to the singer, his kids inspired him and gave him enough strength to overcome the situation and successfully head toward recovery. According to him, the singer struggles with addiction to Ambien, Valium, and Vicodin. In 2011, Eminem publicly opened up about his struggles with addiction while giving an interview to The New York Times.
Eventually, the singer started mixing pills, including Xanax, Ambien, and Valium. Scientific research shows the complexity of depression and addiction and the need for comprehensive treatment. The loss of time with his daughter caused him to understand that it was a life-or-death situation.
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