Eminem Says Ambien Erased Years From His Memory

But Em says it’s another, more common drug that has caused him to swear off all substances completely- Ambien. While generally prescribed for insomnia and not always associated with abuse, the drug is not without controversy. And the artist formerly known as Marshall Mathers blames his use of the sleeping medication for five years of hazy memories. He laments:

“I don’t know if it sounds like I’m making excuses, but the absolute truth is a lot of my memory is gone… I don’t know if you’ve ever taken Ambien, but it’s kind of a memory-eraser. That shit wiped out five years of my life. People will tell me stories, and it’s like, ‘I did that?’ I saw myself doing this thing on BET recently, and I was like, ‘When was that?'”

But Eminem says the realization has helped him examine his relationship with substances overall. The rapper describes:

“…sometimes it sucks, and I wish I was wired like a regular person and could go have a f—in’ drink. But that’s the biggest thing about addiction: When you realize that you cannot — for f—‘s sake, you can not — f— around with nothing ever again.”

As for now, Em is back working with longtime friend and mentor Dr. Dre. The two have gotten into the studio for the rapper’s new album, Detox, and Eminem says the record is nearing completion:

“It’s really close– I want to say we’re halfway done… I’m lending an ear, helping him write, laying hooks– whatever I can do. As for my stuff, I’m just doing guest verses for other people’s records. I try to stay recording, because if I don’t, I get rusty.”

No release date for ‘Detox’ has been floated yet.