Demi Lovato Opens Up About Being Five Years Sober in This Touching Instagram Post
By Christopher Rosa. Photos: Getty Images.
Demi Lovato is a fighter. When the singer was 18 years old, she entered rehab to seek help for her depression and substance abuse issues. (She suffered from bulimia and self-harm, as well, which she also addressed in treatment.) More than five years later, she's on the other side: happy and sober. Of course, it hasn't been an easy journey—a point she made clear in a recent, very poignant Instagram post.
Lovato posted a picture on the social media platform that confirmed she's been sober for five years, 60 months, 1,827 days, and over 40,000 hours.
"So grateful. It's been quite the journey," Lovato captioned the photo. "So many ups and downs. So many times I wanted to relapse but sat on my hands and begged God to relieve the obsession."
She continued, "I'm so proud of myself, but I couldn't have done it without my higher power (God), my family, friends, and everyone else who supported me. Feeling humbled and joyful today. Thank you guys for sticking by my side and believing in me." See the post for yourself, below:
Demi Lovato echoed this sentiment in Glamour's November 2016 issue. In a candid interview, Lovato said she's finally "happy" and "healthy"—but it took a lot of work to get there.
"Getting sober was difficult," she said. "I went into rehab, I came out, and I didn’t stay sober. I still had issues occasionally. Now some days it’s difficult; some days it's easy. But I like to focus on what I’m doing now, which is giving back. I’ve done interventions with people I’ve been close to."
She also now focuses on doing what's best for herself, as opposed to numbing her pain with drugs and alcohol.
"Back then I felt an emptiness inside of me, and I reached for so many things—a person, a substance, a behavior—to fill that void," Lovato also said to Glamour. "And now there’s not a void anymore. The void is filled by me taking care of myself."
It takes a lot of courage and strength to get sober—and there's no shame in asking for help. If you're struggling with substance abuse, you can (anonymously) call the American Addiction Centers hotline at 877-650-0712.
This story originally appeared on Glamour.
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