Eminem Celebrates 10 Years of Sobriety

Eminem Sobriety Royce Da 5’9" Marshall Mathers

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Eminem celebrated 10 years of sobriety by showing off his coin on Instagram.

“Celebrated my 10 years yesterday,” wrote the Detroit native rapper. Alcoholics Anonymous members receive the coin when they’ve hit a milestone in their journey. Royce Da 5’9”, a frequent collaborator and good friend of Slim Shady, congratulated him on Twitter, writing, “Happy sobriety birthday to my mentor @Eminem … Keep fighting the good fight homie … I love you for life.”

In 2007, Em nearly died from an accidental overdose. The veteran rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, spoke about his battle with addiction in an interview with Men’s Journal in 2015. “In 2007, I overdosed on pills, and I went into the hospital,” he said. “I was close to 230 pounds. I’m not sure how I got so big, but I have ideas. The coating on the Vicodin and the Valium I’d been taking for years leaves a hole in your stomach, so to avoid a stomachache, I was constantly eating — and eating badly.”

He added, “When I got out of rehab, I needed to lose weight, but I also needed to figure out a way to function sober,” he added. “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. It’s easy to understand how people replace addiction with exercise. One addiction for another but one that’s good for them.”