Eminem Celebrates 18 Years of Sobriety With Powerful Post

Eminem is quietly celebrating a major milestone: 18 years of sobriety.

On Monday, April 20, the “Real Slim Shady” rapper, 52, shared a simple Instagram post featuring a photo of a recovery coin. Eminem (real name: Marshall Mathers) captioned the post “XVII” with a medal emoji alongside it.

“18 years of sobriety…dang, that’s tough 🔥Respect,” one fan wrote, while another added, “2 more years for your 20 chip.” Others chimed in with support, including, “We’re all happy you’re here” and “Keep goin.”

The artist has previously been open about his struggles with addiction. He suffered a near-fatal overdose in 2007 and has admitted to abusing prescription drugs, including Vicodin, Valium and Ambien.

In a 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, he explained how his struggles escalated during the filming of 8 Mile and he had trouble sleeping during long days on set.

“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 recalled of how the abuse began.

Soon after, the musician told the outlet he spiraled into taking “anywhere from 40 to 60 Valium” and “20, 30” Vicodin a day.

The road to recovery hasn’t been easy — but it’s been worth it. “I realize, like, I’m not embarrassed anymore about it,” he said in an undated interview shared to YouTube. “And I started treating sobriety like my superpower and I took pride in the fact that I was able to quit.”