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Demi Lovato Says Experience With Drug Abuse ‘Saved’ Her Life

Demi Lovato Says Experience With Drug Abuse ‘Saved’ Her Life

In a new podcast, Lovato has spoken about misconceptions surrounding her struggles with drug abuse, which became a damaging coping mechanism

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Demi Lovato has said her past experiences with drug abuse actually 'saved' her life, having opened up in a new interview on Diane Guerrero's Yeah No, I'm Not OK podcast.

In a new episode of the podcast, 28-year-old Lovato speaks to Guerrero about misconceptions surrounding her struggles with drug abuse, which had become a damaging coping mechanism.

According to a preview of the podcast shared by E! News, Lovato thinks people wrongly believe that 'if people are using drugs or if they are dealing with an eating disorder or self-harm that they want to die'.

But she explained how her complicated addictions actually 'stopped [her] from dying', as they had become a 'destructive' way of coping during her difficult times.

PA

Lovato said: "In the same way it almost killed me, it saved my life at times, because there were times that I dealt with suicidal ideations.

"And had I gone forward with that in that moment, instead of another destructive coping mechanism, I wouldn't be here to tell my story."

She added: "I turned to those coping mechanisms because I genuinely was in so much pain that I didn't want to die and I didn't know what else to do."

Lovato has since sought treatment, saying she now understands that she has more positive means to find help.

She said: "I did the best that I could at times and now that I have other tools and other resources, I know how else to deal and how else to cope so I don't have to resort to those behaviors again."

PA

The former Disney star has previously spoken candidly about her drug addiction, saying a near-fatal drug overdose in 2018 caused three strokes and a heart attack.

In the new podcast, she explained that she wants to remain open about her mental health journey as she hadn't seen as much visibility in such issues when she was younger.

"I would look at people in the media and I would just compare myself," Lovato said.

"Not feel good enough, not feel thin enough, and wonder how it was that these people were living lives that seemed so perfect but yet I was in so much pain.

"When I got into the spotlight, I was like, 'Oh, it's not perfect here'. Nobody has a perfect life. It just looks that way."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Entertainment, Celebrity, Drugs