Drug useMathers is no stranger to drugs and alcohol, as suggested by a large number of his songs, including Drug Ballad, These Drugs (with D12) and Under the Influence. The song I'm Shady (The Slim Shady LP, 1999) includes the explanatory line: Well, I do take pills (ecstasy, acid, or prescription drugs), don't do speed / don't do crack, don't do coke / I do smoke weed / don't do smack / I do do 'shrooms, do drink beer / I just wanna make a few things clear.
Other tracks, such as Just Don't Give a Fuck, suggest cocaine use. However, with a sentence of two years of probation taking effect in 2001, during which he was subject to mandatory regular drug testing, his recreational drug use was put to an end. This is supported with references to his drug use in his music all but disappearing after 2001, and comments by late band-mate Proof, who stated that Mathers sobered up. However, he did turn to Zolpidem sleeping pills for relief of sleeping troubles and eventually went to rehab to recover from the addiction. In summer 2005, Mathers embarked on his first U.S. concert run in three years, the Anger Management 3 Tour, featuring Lil' Jon, 50 Cent and G-Unit, D12, Obie Trice, The Alchemist, and others. In August 2005, Mathers canceled the European leg of the tour and subsequently announced that he had entered drug rehabilitation for treatment for a dependency on sleep medication.
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