05/22/09

Rapper Eminem reveals his battle against drugs "I nearly died from a methadone overdose"

Eminem has revealed how he nearly died of an overdose during his battle against drugs.

The rapper (36), real name Marshall Mathers, used to consume up to 20 painkillers, sleeping pills and tranquilizers a day.

He told US magazine ‘Vibe’ that he almost died a few years ago of an overdose of methadone, a drug used as a substitute for heroin which is highly dangerous for non-heroin addicts.

A friend gave him a handful of unidentified blue pills, which he took.

Eminem said: “My doctor told me those mysterious new pills were methadone, which is used to wean heroin addicts off dope. Had I known it was methadone, I probably wouldn't have taken it. But as bad as I was back then, I can't even say 100 per cent for sure.

"My doctor told me the amount of methadone I'd taken was equivalent to shooting up four bags of heroin. Even when they told me I almost died, it didn't click."

For a long time he did not admit that he had an addiction. “I did not understand that it ran in our family. Now that I have had an addiction, I have a lot of sympathy for my mother.”

The rapper does not deny that he has been at war with his mother Debbie Nelson for a while. He called her a drug addict in interviews and wrote heartless lyrics about her in his music. 

Debbie is now suffering from cancer and wants to be reconciled with her son, even if it has to be on her death bed. 

According to Eminem, he has been clean for a year.

On October 21, 2008, Eminem released a tell-all autobiography titled "The Way I Am", which details his struggles with poverty, drugs, fame, heartbreak and depression, along with stories about his rise to fame and commentary on past controversies.