In the song Eminem raps about poverty, his father abandoning the family home when he was a child; “I was a baby, maybe I was just a couple of months/my faggot father must have had his panties up in a bunch cause he split/I wonder if he even kissed me goodbye” and watching his mother abusing medication; “But put yourself in my position; just try to envision/witnessing your momma popping prescription pills in the kitchen”.

One of the underlying causes of drug or alcohol misuse is childhood trauma. Abuse or neglect, persistent conflict in the family and other traumatic childhood experiences can shape a child’s brain chemistry, leading to a dependence of substances as a coping mechanism to this trauma.