Demi Lovato's Sister Madison De La Garza Just Got Extremely Candid About Her Own Struggle With Addiction

This post features discussion of substance abuse issues.

Demi Lovato's sister Madison De La Garza has been sober for over eight months — and she couldn't have done it without her older sis.

In a candid new interview, the 21-year-old director and former Desperate Housewives actor opened up about dealing with substance abuse and addiction, much like Demi.

Thankfully, Madison says she's now 248 days into her "journey of recovery," and it's been completely life changing.

"I went through a lot of things last year that made me want to stay in bed, made me want to hide from the world," Madison shared with E! News. "My best friend was substances, and it disconnected me from those around me."

When she realized she was "really struggling" and her addiction was not only impacting her relationship with her friends but also her mom, she knew she "had to make a change."

With Demi's support and by personally knowing what the singer had experienced, Madison was able to begin her own recovery.

"She obviously gives me a lot of great sister advice, but I think it’s more powerful to see her in action and especially seeing her tell her story," Madison said.

"I’ve started to share my personal story and my issues with addiction and my journey and recovery. I would have never, ever, ever done that if it wasn’t for her," Madison shared. "I think her honesty, her bravery, and being 100% honest and open and being an open book, I think that is what drives me."

Now that she's sober, Madison says she feels "free" and the world "seems lighter and more colorful."

"Things are easier," she explained. "I just took a trip to New York, and I wasn’t panicking because I was tied down to a substance. I wasn’t thinking, 'Oh, what if I can’t use this? What if I don’t have my crutch?'"

Now, Madison is dedicating her time to helping others who are going through similar struggles, including several friends who she's helped get sober.

Madison says she strives to live "by example, just like how Demi's life has been an example for me. Now, I get to be that example for other people, and I could not be happier. I'm grateful for that."

You can read all that Madison had to share here.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and find more resources here.