By Emma Wilson
Eminem has been praised by his loyal fans as he celebrated a huge sobriety milestone.
The Without Me rapper, real name Marshall Mathers III, took to Instagram to share an emotional picture of him holding a sobriety chip in his hand, and was inundated with messages of congratulations from his fans. The coin was engraved with the number 16 and the words “Unity,” “Service” and “Recovery” written in a circle, and he uploaded the photo with no caption.
“Congratulations and thanks for sharing, especially to the ones who are trying to get through Day 1,” one fan wrote. “You made us a promise and man have you kept it. So proud of you!” another added. “Congratulations! We watched you grow up and watching this version of you has been the most amazing thing to witness as a fan,” one inspired follower added, while another revealed Eminem’s music had motivated him to stay sober. “You helped me stay sober. I have 14 years and listening to your music during that vulnerable first year helped me so much. Congrats on your 16 years sober!!!”
For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US.
READ MORE: P Diddy's odd response to Eminem's claim he 'put out hit on Tupac' resurfaces amid controversy
Other famous followers, including John Mayer, Michelle Visage and Supernanny Jo Frost were also quick to comment on the post. Eminem has previously spoken about his struggle with addiction to prescription painkillers, and in 2007, suffered an overdose that almost killed him when he took a huge dose of methadone, and left him fearful he had brain damage. Appearing on his manager Paul Rosenberg’s podcast Paul Pod: Curtain Call 2 in 2022, Eminem said that “it took a long time for my brain to start working again” after the incident.
He revealed that his addiction to painkillers including Vicodin, Valium, Ambien and methadone left him grossly overweight, as he was “eating badly” during his addiction. “The coating on Vicodin and Valium I’d been taking for years leaves a hole in your stomach. So to avoid stomachache, I was constantly eating - and eating badly,” he told Men’s Journal in 2015. After completing a stint in rehab, he began overhauling his lifestyle, and took up running in an effort to try and “function sober”, with the rapper eventually running for 17 miles a day on the treadmill. “So I started running. It gave me a natural endorphin high, but it also helped me sleep, so it was perfect,” he explained.
He also reflected on his near-fatal overdose while being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, as he confessed music had saved his life. “I’ll keep this as painless as possible. I’m f***ing 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,” he stated.
Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok,Snapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads.