Eminem Talks Drug Overdose, Rehab Stint

When Eminem named his current album 'Relapse' he wasn't just being clever, he was speaking from experience. During his hiatus from the music industry, the 36-year-old became addicted to Vicodin, Ambien, and Valium before entering rehab in 2005. At his worst, Em was taking up to 20 pills a day.

"It's no secret I had a drug problem," he said in a recent interview. "If I was to give you a number of Vicodin I would actually take in a day? Anywhere between 10 to 20. Valium, Ambien... the numbers got so high I don't even know what I was taking."

Following a stint in rehab Em relapsed and suffered an almost fatal overdose after taking unidentified "blue pills," which a doctor later told him was methadone. "My doctor told me the amount of methadone I'd taken was equivalent to shooting up four bags of heroin," he said. "I probably wouldn't have taken it. But as bad as I was back then, I can't even say 100 percent for sure."



Em eventually detoxed but found himself on the verge of yet another relapse after experiencing pain from knee surgery. Doctors would not to prescribe him pain killers due to his previous drug abuse, so he took matters in his own hands. "I started looking around my house to see if I had a stash box of Vicodin," he said. " I'm ransacking my house, finally find something in the basement, in a little napkin, seven and a half Vicodin -- the big extra strength ones -- and a few Valium."

He later accepted that he was indeed an addict and after seeking more treatment has been clean for over a year. "It never once hit me that drug addiction runs in my family. Now that I understand that I'm an addict, I definitely have compassion for my mother. I get it."

With a new outlook on life, Em is happy to be getting back to business. The rapper says that leaving the spotlight caused his downward spiral because for a long time he was addicted to music. "Rap was my drug. It used to get me high and then it stopped getting me high. Then I had to resort to other things to make me feel that."

Em's highly anticipated 'Relapse' album hits stores May 19 and is one of two records he will drop this year. The album features production from longtime collaborator Dr. Dre and an appearance from 50 Cent.