Marshall Mather's Road to Addiction - Early Life

Marshall Mather III, also known as Eminem, had a very tormented childhood and career that eventually lead him to drug addiction and alcoholism. The fact that he was abandoned by his father when he was just a child really affected him. As a result, he was raised by his mother. In his songs, he would often complain about the way she raised him. It is known that this lifestyle left a large impact on his personality. Friends and family remember Eminem as a happy child, but a bit of a loner who was often bullied. When he was a teenager, he tried to reach out to his father by constantly writing letters to him; which according to his mother, all came back marked as "return to sender." Later, when his uncle Ronnie committed suicide, Eminem stopped speaking for days and did not attend his funeral. It is said that after the tragedy, he often fought with his mother, who was described by a social worker as having a "very suspicious, almost paranoid personality." By the age of seventeen, Marshall started dating a runaway by the name of Kim and had a daughter with her in 1995. He later married her in 1999 and divorced her a year later. Marshall got introduced to Vicodin in 2001 when he was filming "8 Mile" and had very exhausting schedule and a lot of pressure on him. By the year of 2006, he had remarried Kim and got a divorce several months later. They began a very ugly and public custody dispute over their daughter Haylie. Meanwhile, Eminem became and an alcoholic and an addict for sleeping pills and prescription pain killers. In December 2007, he overdosed and nearly died. "If I would've got to the hospital two hours later, that would've been it," he said.This was a huge turning point for Marshall and realized that he needed help. He went to rehab and was sober for two weeks, but he relapsed a week after being home. He had a hard time writing his lyrics for two years. He finally got rid of his addictions in 2008, and he returned to recording music again. But everything he wrote was never really good enough for him, he claimed that it didn't meet his standards. Marshall writes about his experiences in his rhymes. He released is new album Recovery in 2010, an album that talks about his attempt to overcome his addictions and experiences with rehab. This album had a softer tone to it compared with his previous albums. Eminem said, "I don't want to go overboard with it but I do feel like that if I can help people that have been through a similar situation, then, you know, why not?" I am a fan of Marshall because of the success he had even though he had such a rough childhood. When I listen to his music, I can see how mad he was and how he felt at the moment, which not something everyone can do. Also, the fact that he writes his own lyrics is something I truly admire and respect. He is doubtlessly one of the most acclaimed rappers in history. Eminem has the respect of many people, including mine.