Eminem celebrates being 16 years sober after his near-fatal drug overdose

Eminem is celebrating 16 years sober after he 'almost died' from a drug overdose back in 2007.

The rapper, 51, had been fighting an addiction to prescription meds when he overdosed in December 2007.

Eminem began struggling with addiction while filming 8 Mile (Universal Pictures)

Eminem's addictions all started when he was filming 2002 movie, 8 Mile.

He has previously admitted that he ended up taking drugs such as vicodin, valium, ambien and methadone.

"We were doing 16 hours on the set and you had a certain window where you had to sleep," he told Rolling Stone in 2011.

"One day somebody gave me an Ambien, and it knocked me the f**k out. I was like, 'I need this all the time.'"

He's since credited music with saving his life, explaining that when he experienced the overdose, he almost died.

Speaking at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2022, he said: "I realise what an honour it is right now to be here up here tonight, and what a privilege it is to do the music that I love.

"Music basically saved my life ... I'll keep this as painless as possible, I'm fu***ng stuttering and s**t. I'm probably not supposed to actually be here tonight because of a couple of reasons.

"I almost died from an overdose in 2007, which kind of sucked."

It's been 16 years since the near-fatal overdose and on Saturday (20 April) Eminem took to social media where he shared a photo of a chip scribed with '16' and 'unity', 'service', 'recovery'.

The chip is significant because it's believed to represent the number of years the rapper has been free of drugs.

Meanwhile, the Three Legacies of AA are recovery, unity and service.

While some questioned the meaning of the chip on X, others were quick to explain.

One wrote: "It’s an AA medallion for 16 years of sobriety."

While another said: "AA sobriety medallion. 16 years clean and sober!!"

And a third added: "A big salute to him for having fought the battle for 16 years, and for being here to inspire others."

"Congratulations brother, that's a huge accomplishment. Keep it up man," said a fourth.

Eminem has been sober for 16 years (X/@Eminem)

Eminem has also spoken about his addictions in much of his music.

In two songs, 'Castle' and 'Arose', the rapper explains his brush with death and the impact it had on his family.

In 'Castle', the 'Real Slim Shady' rapper says: "I can't stomach, they can take this fame back, I don't want it / I'll put out this last album then I'm done with it / One hundred percent finished, fed up with it / I'm hanging it up, f**k it."

The song emphasises the rapper's struggle to cope with fame after being discovered by Dr Dre in 1997.

He goes on to hint at an overdose: "If things should worsen, don't take this letter I wrote / As a goodbye note / 'Cause your dad's at the end of his rope / I'm sliding down a slippery slope / Anyways sweetie / I better go, I'm getting sleepy / Love, Dad... s**t, I don't know."

If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week

Topics: Drugs, Eminem, Health, Twitter, Good News

Lucy Devine