Demi Lovato Powerfully Opened Up Onstage About Being Six Years Sober
Demi Lovato isn't one to shy away from being totally open with her fans: She's opened up about eating disorders, mental health (she's bipolar), and her battle with addiction. And at a Friday-night concert in Brooklyn, she was even more candid. This time, it was about commemorating her six years of sobriety—and Lovato got real with her fans in an emotional speech from the stage about her journey to this point.
It started when her Tell Me You Love Me tour mates, Kehlani and DJ Khaled, suprised her by sharing some sweet words onstage to celebrate her milestone. "What you've overcome through trials and tribulations, through dark clouds, you found the sunshine, and now the sun is shining on you forever," DJ Khaled told her. "And every night you come light up the stage and you represent your fans, and that's so amazing."
Kehlani, in turn, celebrated Lovato's authenticity and openness: "You give me hope and strength and pride, and every bit of myself that I am—the good side, the bad side, the funny side, the quirky side. You are 100-percent yourself, and that is so rare in this world and this industry," she told Lovato. "I'm so, so, so, so proud of you, and honored to know you."
Lovato took the moment to share how her journey began—tearing up at times as she did so: "Yesterday, six years ago, I was drinking vodka out of a Sprite bottle at nine in the morning, throwing up in the car," she said, speaking from the Barclay Center stage. "And I just remember thinking, 'This is no longer cute. This is no longer fun. And I'm just like my dad.' So I took a look at my life and I said, 'Something has to change, I've got to get sober'—so I did."
Always an advocate for open conversations around mental health, Lovato also reiterated that the only way to reduce the stigma around it is to talk about it: "I made changes in my life, and the reason I became so open about my story is because I know that there are people here tonight that need to ask for help, and I want you to know that that's OK. Mental health is something that we all need to talk about, and we need to take the stigma away from it. So let's raise the awareness," she said. "Let's let everybody know it's OK to have a mental illness; it's OK to have an addiction problem. I'm bipolar—like, whatever! I take care of myself."
Lovato also let her fans know that they were partly behind her success in treating the issues she'd struggled with: "I can never say 'Thank you' enough to you guys for the support that you've given me over the years, and you've forgiven me for my mistakes," she told the audience. "Thank you for being a part of saving my life. I love you guys."
Catch part of the powerful moment here:
Related Stories:
-Demi Lovato Was So Uncomfortable at the 2016 Met Gala It Almost Drove Her to Drink
-Demi Lovato Will Provide Free Group Therapy for Concertgoers During Her 2018 Tour
-Demi Lovato Posted a Side-by-Side That Shows How Far She's Come in Her Eating Disorder Recovery
