Getty Image / Kevin Sabitus
Marshall Mathers aka Eminem celebrated a milestone this week and shared the chip he received for making it to 16 years of sobriety.
Eminem received an outpouring of congratulations and support from his fans and fellow people in recovery alike, with thousands commented on the photo Eminem shared of his 16-year sobriety chip.
It should not be understated how without the path of sobriety Eminem likely wouldn’t be here today. After the release of his album Infinite in 1996, his substance abuse was so bad it led to a failed attempt at him taking his own life. Of course, his battle with substance abuse wouldn’t end there and it wasn’t until 16 years ago this week that he finally got sober for good.
The outpouring of support from his fans led to a ton of positive comments on Eminem’s Instagram post. One person wrote “Congrats! Happy Birthday! 🎈🎂 I’m working through my 20th month now.” Another said “16yrs strong, so proud of you! 🥲🫶🏻” Others chimed in with “Let’s go fellow class of ‘08. 👏🏽 Keep trudging the road of happy destiny.” And “Well done and thanks for sharing the journey with us.”
In another inspirational message, one fan wrote “I looked up to you my whole life. Listening to you since the very start . Still listening to your music today. I am also in Recovery. Almost 8 years.. your a massive inspiration to me , you were an inspiration in my addiction & now are in my recovery. 🙏💜 LEGEND 💜💜”
Getting sober is often a deeply personal journey but that’s not alway the case when you’re one of the most famous individuals in music. Eminem’s struggles were varied but his primary addition was with prescription pills and it culminated with a December 2007 overdose on methadone for which he was hospitalized. He would then finally go sober and stay sober for good on, ironically, 4/20 in 2008.
Sober, 51 years old, and living his best life, Eminem is now one of the NFL’s ambassadors as the NFL Draft will be held this week in Detroit:
Imagine going back in time to tell an 16-year-old Eminem that one day he’d be one of the NFL Draft hosts in Detroit sitting alongside the NFL’s commissioner for hype videos.