Eminem was addicted to prescription drugs, including Vicodin, Valium, Ambien, Xanax, and Methadone. That’s why our programs are founded and staffed by people in recovery – people who truly understand. Eminem’s partnership with Asana Recovery reflects his belief that personalized treatment plans are key to lasting sobriety. What followed was a six-month relapse where he alternated between sobriety pledges and secret drug hauls stashed in bathroom vents.

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.

“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.”

His story is a potent message of how mental and substance disorders can move in a conflagration, and the need to seek treatment. Eminem has not been afraid of sharing his life spent fighting addiction and depression. Ultimately, Eminem got clean and sober, and he detailed this sobriety in the album “Recovery.” Read on to discover how Eminem achieved and maintained his sobriety.

Inside Eminem’s History With Drugs

“I had a 10-year run, stealing, conniving,” she told People. “For the last eight weeks maybe, I don’t really know…I’m on them all day,” he said on his Armchair Expert podcast. The Parenthood alum was sober for 16 years before relapsing in 2020 by taking Vicodin after a motorcycle accident.

The Breaking Point: Eminem’s Overdose and Near-Death Experience

The drugs can further imbalance the chemicals in the brain, causing what was eminem addicted to 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.

“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 Opens Up About His Overdose

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.

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.

Beyond Celebrity: The Broader Implications for Mental Health

• According to the rapper, if he made it to the hospital just two hours later, he would have died from the drug overdose.
• The Parent Trap actor battled a cocaine addiction throughout the ’80s that sent him to rehab in 1990.
• That’s why our programs are founded and staffed by people in recovery – people who truly understand.
• When experts started treating him, the heavy methadone dose was already shutting down his organs, including kidneys and livers.
• “It was easier for me to say that I’m doing it for her because, at that time, I didn’t feel like I was sort of worth much,” he recalled of the early days of their relationship.

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.

Mental Health Matters: Why Substance Abuse Is A Symptom Of A Deeper Crisis

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.

• “I still put it off and was trying to slow down on my own, like, ‘All right I’m only gonna let myself take two pills today. I’m only gonna drink this much of my bottle and make a mark on the bottle,'” he recalled.
• In April 2024, the ‘Without Me’ rapper proudly showed off his 16 years of sobriety as he held a chip commemorating the achievement in a post on Instagram.
• News, he now sees that sobriety is ultimately a personal choice.
• Eminem’s partnership with Asana Recovery reflects his belief that personalized treatment plans are key to lasting sobriety.
• Senior Editor, NewsJames is an award-winning investigative reporter known for real-time coverage of global events.

Substance Abuse     →

Following the overdose, Eminem channeled his experience into his 2009 album, Relapse, but found the response underwhelming. He openly admits to a “vicious cycle” of needing “more pills” to cope with underlying emotional struggles. Nearly one in five U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2022, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and substance use often complicates these conditions. STANS hit AMC movie theaters for a limited time only up until August 10, though it is anticipated the film will be available to stream worldwide on Paramount+ later this year. “It offers a raw, loud, and revealing journey across his career – and the passionate audience that has grown with him,” it adds. Shortly after going into recovery, Eminem put pen to paper and gave us his 2009 album Relapse in the process, and although he admits the reception from fans for the record was ‘lukewarm’, it spurred him further.

Eminem Addiction: The Near-Fatal Overdose Experience

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.

“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 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.

Furthermore, his journey highlights the importance of addressing the underlying causes of addiction, such as depression and trauma. His willingness to share his experiences can help dismantle the barriers that prevent people from seeking treatment. Eminem’s perspective – actively choosing a healthier path and recognizing the benefits – is a powerful antidote to the stigma surrounding recovery.

Barrymore, who previously went to rehab for alcohol and drug addiction, shared in 2021 that she was marking a big milestone in her journey. The successful addiction recovery journey from Eminem’s life proves this point. 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. Following the pleasant experience with the pill, Eminem started using more drugs, such as Vicodin, to feel more relaxed at the end of the day and get better sleep. These drugs largely included prescription opioids, and the singer started using them as he was working long hours with very little time to work in between to rest properly.