Eminem marked a major milestone in his sobriety journey. This year marks 16 years sober for the “Slim Shady” rapper. His journey hasn’t been easy. Following a short visit to rehab, a 2007 near-death overdose, and a relapse shortly after, he knew he needed to change. The Detorit-born rapper sought the help of a rehab counselor and has been sober since 2008. He credits his love for his three children as part of the decision to live a sober life and kicking his addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs. He is a proud father of a daughter, Hailie, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Kim. Hailie is now 28 and married. He’s also father to adopted daughters Alaina and Stevie.ย
On Saturday, April 20, otherwise known as 4/20 for marijuana lovers, Eminem celebrated 16 years sober, sharing the milestone on Instagram with fans by posting a photo of his hand holding a new chip. He’s spoken about his sobriety often publicly.ย
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“I remember when I first got sober and all the s— was out of my system, I remember just being, like, really happy and everything was f—— new to me again,” he said on Paul Rosenberg’s Paul Pod podcast in 2022. He focused on fitness to substitute his addiction.
“When I got out of rehab, I needed to lose weight, but I also needed to figure out a way to function sober,” he told Men’s Journal in 2015 of his newfound love of fitness. “Unless I was blitzed out of my mind, I had trouble sleeping. So I started running. It gave me a natural endorphin high, but it also helped me sleep, so it was perfect.” He added, “It’s easy to understand how people replace addiction with exercise. One addiction for another but one that’s good for them.”
