Eminem Marks 18 Years Sober Following 2007 Near-Fatal Overdose

Eminem has reached a major personal milestone. The 53-year-old "Lose Yourself" rapper announced his 18 years of sobriety on Monday (April 21) by sharing a photo on social media. In the image, he wore a D-Nice To tha Rescue tee and held a coin engraved with the phrases "to thine own self be true" and "unity, service, recovery," captioning the post "XVIII?"

The music icon has been open about his past struggles with substance abuse, including prescription medications and alcohol. A life-threatening overdose in 2007 became the catalyst for his recovery journey.

In his documentary STANS, Eminem reflected on that critical moment and its aftermath. "After the overdose, I came home going, 'Yo, bro, I need something… I'm going to die if I don't do something,'" he recounted. He described waking up in a hospital bed, disoriented and unable to move, with no clear memory of what had transpired. "I didn't know what the f— happened. It seemed like I fell asleep, and I woke up with tubes in me and s—. I wanted to get up. I couldn't move," he explained.

The recovery process coincided with the creation of his 2009 album Relapse. While the project received mixed reactions from critics, Eminem said the lukewarm reception served as a turning point. "That also turned the lights on and I thought, 'You've gotta do something different.' Why don't you try embracing sobriety?" he said.

Over time, his perspective on recovery shifted dramatically. "I realized I'm not embarrassed anymore about it, and I started treating sobriety like a superpower. I was proud of the fact that I could quit," Eminem reflected.