It’s a sensitive subject to talk about, but Demi Lovato is feeling stronger than ever after overcoming a relapse that almost took her life.
And after weathering the storm – and doing so publicly – Demi, 27, has bravely reflected on her troublesome journey to sobriety and what it took for her to get to where she is today.
But the former Disney star revealed she felt “completely abandoned” by her team before her near-fatal relapse in 2018.
Speaking on The Ellen Show , Demi said: “My core issues are abandonment from my birth father as a child. He was an addict, alcoholic, we had to leave him,” she said.
“And I have vivid memories of him leaving, so when [my team] left, they totally played on that fear and I felt completely abandoned, so I drank.”
Demi Lovato is finally at a happy place in her life
And although the darkness is far behind her, the Sorry Not Sorry singer is being honest about who was there for her during that time, and calling out those that weren’t.
She said: “I have to preface it with the fact that I got sober at 19. So I got sober at an age where I wasn’t even legally allowed to drink.
“I got the help that I needed at the time, and I took on the approach of a one-size-fits-all solution, which is sobriety, just sobriety. My whole team took that approach and we did it and we ran with it and it worked for a long time.”
The singer has been very open about her journey to sobriety
Demi bravely opened up about her struggles battling an eating disorder, which over time became a harder battle to fight.
She explained: “It progressively got worse and worse, with people checking what my orders at Starbucks were on my bank statements. Just little things like that, it led me to being really, really unhappy.
“My bulimia got really bad, and I asked for help and I didn’t receive the help that I needed.”
Demi this year performed at the Super Bowl
She added: “So I was stuck in this unhappy position. Here I am sober and I’m thinking to myself, ‘I’m six years sober, but I’m miserable. I’m even more miserable than I was when I was drinking. Why am I sober?’”
And as painful as it must’ve been to recall that dark time of her colourful life, Demi bravely explained it was that night when she went to a party and abused substances she has been actively avoiding for six years, ultimately winding her up at the hospital following an overdose just three months later.
She told Ellen: “Ultimately, I made the decisions that got me to where I am today. It was my actions that put me in the position that I’m in.”
The singer suffered a near fatal overdose in 2018
And smiley Demi has some words of wisdom for anyone that finds themselves in a similar situation to her.
She said: “If you do go through this, you yourself can get through it. You can get to the other side and it may be bumpy, but you are a 10 out of 10 — don’t forget it.
“And as long as you take the responsibility, you can move past it and learn to love yourself the way you deserve to be loved.”