Eminem is celebrating 11 years of a drug-free and Alcohol-free life, and he says he is still not afraid to continue with the journey he began in 2008.
The rap star took to his Instagram account on Saturday to celebrate more than a decade since he last tasted drugs and alcohol, he posted – 11 years – still not afraid – with a photo of a sobriety chip in his hand.
Eminem – who real name is Marshall Mathers III – overdosed on methadone in December 2007 and ended up in hospital but it wasn’t until a relapse a month later that he realised that he was going to end up dead if he didn’t change his habits and face his demons.
The 46-year-old rapper has been very open about his battle with addiction over the years and admitted it was his three children, Alaina, 25, Hailie, 23, and Whitney, 17, who made him ditch the bottle and pills once and for all because he wanted to see them grow up.
He said: “Had I got to the hospital about two hours later, I would have died. My organs were shutting down. My liver, kidneys, everything. They were going to have to put me on dialysis. They didn’t think I was going to make it. My bottom was going to be death.
“Within a month I had relapsed … and I was just walking around my house thinking every single day, I’m going to f**king die. I’m looking at my kids, and I need to be here for this.”
During the height of his addiction, Eminem saw his weight balloon to 230lbs and attributes the gain to trying to relieve stomach ache brought on by the discomfort caused by drugs such as Vicodin and Valium.
Eminem is known for his great jams like ‘The real slim shady, I’m not afraid, Encore among others.