DMX's Long-Lasting Fight with Addiction — He Once Credited God for Helping Him

DMX, one of the most successful rappers of the late-90s, has been in a long battle with addiction that has negatively affected his life. Now, he’s hospitalized following an overdose.

According to Earl Simmons, better known for his stage name DMX, his drug abuse journey began when he was just 14 years old after his mentor gave him a marihuana blunt laced with crack.

From that point on, the rapper has struggled with substance abuse. He's wondered why his mentor, who was in his 30s and knew DMX looked up to him, would do such a thing to a child.

DMX’S PROBLEMS WITH DRUGS

He also confessed that he had to learn to deal with the things that hurt him independently as he didn’t have anybody to talk to. DMX pointed out that, in the hood, nobody wants to hear others’ problems as it is viewed as a sign of weakness.

For him, talking about your issues is actually “one of the bravest things you can do.” Unfortunately, he has not managed to completely overcome his addiction problem, not even after going to jail and almost losing his life.

After DMX had gotten in and out of jail several times for many offenses, including drug possession, he was arrested again in 2009 and sentenced to 90 days behind bars for drugs and animal cruelty charges.

Then, in 2010, DMX was taken into custody again for regularly using drugs and violating his probation arrangements. At the time of his arrest, he had Oxycontin on him and refused to take a drug test.

It was reported that he had used cocaine and drove on a suspended license, too. According to court papers, DMX had been given many opportunities to “succeed on probation,” including letting him choose his own treatment program.

Still, he kept using illegal drugs. In October 2011, about a year after that incident, he claimed he had “let the cocaine go” as a way to become a better father to his now-15 children. He said:

“I am on a spiritual road to do right in my life. I am leaving out all negativity and going to stay on the right road to positive.”

NEVER-ENDING ADDICTION

In 2013, DMX appeared on Iyanla Vanzant’s OWN show “Iyanla: Fix My Life” and revealed that he would always have a drug problem, adding that those issues didn’t get solved just because he stopped getting high.

The rapper pointed out that it was a constant fight and that everything that used to be a trigger for him to use would always be a trigger. He added that his drug use became a problem after becoming wealthy as he didn’t have enough money to buy much before.

DMX allegedly suffered an overdose that triggered a heart attack.

Things got even more complicated in 2016 after DMX’s addiction almost killed him. That February, the rapper was found unresponsive at a parking lot in Yonkers, New York.

According to The Sun, he stopped breathing and had no pulse when the emergency personnel arrived at the scene. Eventually, a paramedic administered an anti-opioid used to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose named Narcan.

Apart from that, it is reported that police officers performed CPR on him. DMX, fortunately, became “semiconscious” and was taken to a nearby hospital to receive treatment.

After getting better, DMX claimed that he had not taken any drugs, and all he could remember was having trouble breathing (he had been dealing with bronchitis at the time).

MOST RECENT DRUG INCIDENT

In January 2019, the rapper said that he was no longer taking drugs and even credited God for helping him. Later that year, he checked into rehab not because he had relapsed but to avoid doing it.

Unfortunately, on April 2, 2021, DMX allegedly suffered an overdose that triggered a heart attack. Paramedics reportedly tried to resuscitate him for about 30 minutes. During all that time, his brain was deprived of oxygen.

His representative released a statement the following day and revealed that he was in ICU in critical condition. Now, DMX is still clinging to life with “little brain function,” reported TMZ.

His fiancée and mother have been allowed to visit him in the ICU, and his family is still hopeful that he can get better. DMX’s manager asked people to “please pray for him.”

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.