In a new documentary called How I Make Money Selling Drugs the US rapper Eminem opens up about his struggles with drug addiction. He admits that his fall into substance abuse almost killed him and destroyed his dignity. Eminem is now free of addiction and he is opening up about his past in the hope that it can inspire other people to do the same.
The Fall of Eminem into Addiction Hell
Eminem (real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III) became famous during the early nineties. His style of rap music won him international fame with hits such as ’My Name Is‘ and ’Lose Yourself‘. He is one of the top 100 Greatest Artists of all Time, and he continues to put out hit albums even today. Eminem is also a successful record producer and actor. Even his detractors have to admit that he is a very talented guy. His life has not only just been about success and accolades though – he has had his dark days as well.
Eminem became addicted to prescription drugs about ten years ago. At the height of his addiction, he was ingesting twenty Vicodin, Ambien, and Valium every day. He didn’t see this as a problem because he had convinced himself that a real addict would only abuse crack cocaine and other hard drugs. This false sense of security meant that he was able to ignore the fact that these substances were leading to increasing problems in his life. It was only when he ended up seriously ill in hospital that it was possible to penetrate his denial. On this occasion, all his organs began shutting down and he was very close to death. It was impossible for him to continue to ignore the substance abuse so in 2005 he entered rehab. He did briefly relapse, but he is now free of drugs.
The Hidden Danger of Prescription Medication Addiction
Prescription medication addiction is on the rise, and the true cost of this type of substance abuse is hidden because people fail to get help to quit. It is often only when something life threatening happens, as was the case with Eminem, that individuals are able to wake up to the problem. This is because it is easy for people who abuse prescribed medication to convince themselves that they are doing nothing wrong. They do not fit the profile of the stereotypical drug abuser, and they use this as evidence that they do not have a problem at all.
People tend to slip into prescription medication addiction by a different route than other substance abusers. In the beginning, the person may have been prescribed these drugs to help them deal with a medical condition such as insomnia or pain. What can happen though is the person begins to enjoy the pleasant side effects of the drug. This is what happened in the case of Eminem. He stopped taking this medication for the reason it was prescribed and started taking it to enjoy the effects of the substance. The move from taking drugs as prescribed to taking them recreationally can be very subtle, and the person may not notice until it has already happened. By that stage, they may already have a physical addiction.
Eminem is Educating the World on the Dangers of Prescription Medication Addiction
It is vital that the dangers of prescription medication addiction is more widely reported, so the fact that Eminem is open about his past is likely to help a lot of people. It can take a great deal of the shame out of seeking help when seeing successful people having to do the same. His words may also help people come to terms with the fact that they have a problem in the first place.
