Entertainment
Demi Lovato says drug addiction was a ‘destructive coping mechanism’: ‘It almost killed me but also saved my life’
Demi Lovato has opened up about the complexity of her past drug use as she admitted how it sometimes saved her life, before almost killing her.
The 28-year-old singer got candid about her past decisions while discussing her mental health on an upcoming episode of Diane Guerrero’s podcast, Yeah No, I’m Not OK.
The Camp Rock star tried to shed some light on the common belief that ‘if people are using drugs or if they are dealing with an eating disorder or self-harm they want to die.’
According to E! News, the Don’t Forget hitmaker explained: ‘In the same way [drug use] 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.’
Demi stated she think she ‘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.’
She continued: ‘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.’
Her comments came ahead of the star’s tell-all documentary, which will air on YouTube, charting the period in her life when she relapsed after six years of sobriety and was rushed to hospital after overdosing at her home in Los Angeles.
Demi was in hospital for two weeks following the incident before checking into an in-patient rehab to continue her recovery, and has been left with permanent side effects.
Demi Lovato: Dancing With The Devil will premiere on YouTube on March 23.
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