Eminem Flaunts Flashy New Chip On IG To Mark 16 Years Sober!

Eminem is celebrating a proud milestone. The "Lose Yourself" rapper, 51, posted a photo to his social media on this weekend of his chip marking 16 years of sobriety. The photo is a close-up image of a hand holding a gold chip with the words "Unity," "Service," and "Recovery" printed in a circle.

Eminem, born Marshall Mathers, was famously raised in poverty in a suburb of Detroit. He burst onto the rap scene in the late 90s, using an alter ego, Slim Shady, through which he rapped about topics like crime and drug use. His childhood inspired hit songs like "My Name Is," "Cleanin' Out My Closet," "Lose Yourself," and "Stan."

Eminem's brand of music was controversial, with critics decrying his use of violent lyrics. Still, Eminem found mainstream success and became one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time.

Despite his fame, Eminem struggled with substance abuse issues. He first entered rehab in 2005 for pill addiction.

In 2009, People magazine reported that Eminem was taking as many as 20 pills a day.

"In a candid new interview, rap superstar Eminem reveals he suffered from a devastating drug addiction that led to him downing as many as 20 Vicodin, Ambien and Valium in a day. 'The numbers got so high, I don’t even know what I was taking,' Eminem tells VIBE magazine in its second annual Real Rap Issue for June/July. Following his first stint in rehab in 2005, the rapper tells VIBE he nearly overdosed after an acquaintance gave him unidentified blue pills, which a doctor later told him were actually methadone. 'My doctor told me the amount of methadone I’d taken was equivalent to shooting up four bags of heroin,' Eminem says, noting that had he known, 'I probably wouldn’t have taken it. But as bad as I was back then, I can’t even say 100 percent for sure.'"

Eminem has been sober since April 20, 2008, an anniversary he regularly commemorates on social media.

In 2022, Eminem appeared as a guest on the "Paul Pod: Curtain Call 2" podcast, where he discussed his sobriety, saying he was taking "75 (or) 80 Valium a night."

"The year after he got clean, he released his sixth studio album, 'Relapse'," reported USA Today.

"On the podcast, Eminem shared he felt 'really happy' after the drugs left his system. Making 'Relapse,' he added, was the first time 'that I had had fun recording in a long time,' though he had to relearn how to rap. 'It took a long time for my brain to start working again,' he said."

Comments on the "8 Mile" actor's post congratulated Eminem on his achievement. Reality star Joey Sasso left a long comment explaining his connection to the rapper and how he has been inspired by him.

"God bless bro. You are one of the biggest inspirations that helped me realize that I could get sober and stay clean. I know that sounds so cliché whenever someone says that to a celebrity but it’s absolutely true," Sasso wrote.

"I was ready to check out the lowest I had ever been in the lowest I hope I will ever be due to my addiction and mental health completely f------ plummeting. Congratulations on your 16 years. It’s absolutely f------ insane to see the progress that you have made and this is why I always verbally defend your entire catalog since you have come back because I cannot stand when people try glorifying the music from the drug days. Plain and simple."

"Sobriety has made you become the greatest of all time. Your skill and pen has never been stronger and you have completely cemented your legacy as the GOAT, even though you continue to surprise all of us and give us new music. Congratulations and I’m sending you and your family so much love on this special day. Keep going bro!" Sasso concluded.

Eminem's daughter, influencer and host of the "Just A Little Shady" podcast, Hailie Jade Mathers, has been open about how her father's addiction caused her to stay away from drugs and alcohol. The 28-year-old has said that her father's struggles caused a fear of experimenting with substances.

"Mathers' father, Eminem (whose legal name is Marshall Mathers), has been open about his addiction to pills... Mathers said she grew up with an intense fear of being around drugs and alcohol. She explained that in high school she didn't drink or go to parties. 'I feel like everyone was doing that but I just didn't," she said. "I was so naive to all of it'."