Eminem might be a rap legend but today (April 20) he is celebrating something other than global success.
The rapper took to social media earlier today to celebrate the impressive milestone of being 11 years sober, saying he was still ‘not afraid’ of his recovery.
Em has been open about his addiction struggles in the past, speaking about his battles with substance abuse problems as he battled to make it as an artist.
The rapper made the impressive announcement on Instagram, posting a picture of his hand holding the gold and blue recovery medallion associated with Alcoholics Anonymous.
The medallion had the markings ‘XI’ in its centre, and featured the three legacies of recovery, unity and service as the traditional emblem for the organisation.
This isn’t the first time the Lose Yourself rapper has celebrated his recovery with fans; last year, he announced he was 10 years sober from drugs and alcohol.
Eminem, formally known as Marshall Bruce Mathers III, shot to worldwide fame in the early 2000s and soon started struggling with substance abuse; the rapper admitted in an interview with Rolling Stone he didn’t really get into drugs until his career properly took off.
The rapper explained:
I was taking so many pills that I wasn’t even taking them to get high anymore. I was taking them to feel normal. Not that I didn’t get high. I just had to take a ridiculous amount.
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 shit.
These struggles overpowered him and eventually spiralled to dangerous depths, before he made the decision to completely quit drugs and alcohol eleven years ago.
Em suffered a near-fatal overdose in December 2007 which ultimately prompted him to get clean, but he relapsed after a month.
The rapper never gave up though and fought hard to get sober again, making him 11 years sober today.
Congratulations Em.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).