Eminem is celebrating 12 years of sobriety.
The American rapper, born Marshall Mathers, shared the achievement to his social media channels on April 20 — which, ironically, also happens to be considered the unofficial cannabis celebration day.
Attached to the post was a picture of the 47-year-old’s newest sobriety coin, which is blue, silver and black and has the number 12 engraved in the middle of it.
Around the token read the words “unity,” “recovery” and “service,” with the phrase “one day at a time” written at the top.
He captioned the post, “Clean dozen, in the books! I’m not afraid.”
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Eminem became sober on April 20, 2008, five months after experiencing a nearly-fatal methadone overdose.
The Slim Shady rapper said he was searching for Vicodon, a prescription pain reliever he was addicted to, however was given a supposedly similar drug by someone, which eventually led to his overdose.
“‘It looks like Vicodin, it’s shaped like Vicodin? F–k it,’” he said of the drug during a 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, recounting his past addiction problem.
In this Sept. 13, 2010, file photo, rapper Eminem performs at Yankee Stadium in New York City.
AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, file
“I remember taking one [of the pills] in the car on the way home, and thinking, ‘Oh, this is great,” he added. “I went through them in a couple of days, then went back and got a lot more.”
On the night of the overdose, in December 2007, Eminem said he went to the bathroom to “take a p**s,” but fell and hit the floor. He repeatedly tried to get back up until he passed out.
“All I remember was hitting the bathroom floor and waking up in the hospital,” he said. “The doctors told me I’d done the equivalent of four bags of heroin. They said I was about two hours from dying,” he added.
When he woke up, Eminem said, unbeknownst to him, that it was Christmas Day, and the first thing he thought of was his kids.
Eminem later admitted that the 2006 death of DeShaun “Proof” Holton, a fellow rapper and one of his closest childhood friends, played a big part into triggering his addiction.
Eminem (R) and DeShaun Holton AKA “Proof” of D12 during The 45th Annual Grammy Awards Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
M. Caulfield/WireImage
“I remember days I spent just taking f–king pills and crying,” he told Rolling Stone. “I wasn’t the only person grieving — he left a wife and kids. But I was very much in my own grief,” he added.
The Grammy Award-winner continued: “I was so high at his funeral. It disgusts me to say it, but I felt like it was about me. I hate myself for even thinking that. It was selfish.”
On when he started getting involved in drugs, Eminem said, “It didn’t really start until my career took off. I was probably in my early 20s before I even kicked back my first beer.”
He said that at first, it was purely “recreational,” however, that it started becoming a problem during the making of his 2002 drama film 8 Mile.
“We were doing 16 hours on the set, and you had a certain window where you had to sleep,” he said. “One day somebody gave me an Ambien, and it knocked me the f–k out. I was like, ‘I need this all the time.’ So I got a prescription.”
He continued: “After four or five months, your tolerance starts building. You start breaking off another piece of the pill that’s supposed to be for tomorrow. I was f–ked up every night.”
“I was taking so many pills that I wasn’t even taking them to get high anymore. I was taking them to feel normal. 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 s–t.
On how he got the drugs, the Lose Yourself hit-maker told Rolling Stone, “When you’re an addict, you find ways. In the beginning, there were doctors who gave me prescriptions — even after I got out of rehab.
Eminem first went to rehab in 2005, years after the release of 8 Mile. Following his overdose in 2007, he hired a rehabilitation counsellor and has been sober ever since.
Referring to his own mother, who had an addiction problem, the rapper said, “It never once hit me that drug addiction runs in my family. Now that I understand that I’m an addict, I definitely have compassion for my mother,” during an interview with People in 2009.
His 11th and latest album, Music to Be Murdered By, is now available through all major streaming platforms.
You can also read Eminem’s full interview with Rolling Stone here.
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