Like Eminem, I feel my post-alcohol brain ‘turning back on’
Rapper Eminem did a fascinating interview this week in which he described the process of getting his brain back following a very serious drug addiction.
I can certainly relate. While my booze intake was nowhere near the 80 Valium Eminem said he was eventually taking at night, I’ve noticed huge gains in my cognitive ability in less than a month of sobriety.
Since I quit drinking 25 days ago, the mental processes that had become a chore are a joy again … and much easier to pull off.
I’ve only been back on this platform for a shade over two weeks, yet I’ve managed to pump out 25 legitimate, fairly lengthy posts (and actually enjoyed doing it).
My day job as a writer/editor has been a breeze too, as my body is no longer tired all the time and my brain’s bandwidth isn’t tied up with thoughts of when I’ll be able to poison it again. Work that was once effortless, then became a drag, has become effortless once more.
‘I started having fun with music again’
In an interview on his longtime manager Paul Rosenberg’s podcast, Eminem — who was one of, if not THE, biggest music star on the planet at one point — explained how he needed to learn how to rap again from the ground up after punishing his brain with drugs and alcohol for years. The rapper almost died of an overdose at one point.
He talked about how, after kicking his bad habits, everything felt “new” to him again. He noted how enjoyable that experience was.
“It was like the first time I started having fun with music again, and re-learning how to rap, you remember that whole process,” he said. “It took a long time for my brain to start working again.”
The rapper and his manager didn’t mince words about his first attempt at re-igniting his craft. It was bad. In fact, Rosenberg was concerned that Eminem may have suffered brain damage after years of punishing drug abuse.
But after five or six months clean, everything seemed to come back.
Eminem’s words should give hope to anyone who might be considering quitting but allow self doubt or thoughts of “what’s the point now?” to creep in.
No matter how long you’ve been drinking or how many opportunities you’ve missed out on as a result, there’s always a benefit to starting to lead a healthier life right now.
You never know what great things are waiting for you just around the bend!
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