Demi Lovato’s Addiction Story

Demi Lovato is one of the most recognisable voices in modern pop music, known not only for their powerhouse vocals and chart-topping hits, but also for their openness about their personal struggles with addiction and mental health.

Rising to fame as a teenager on Disney Channel, Demi went on to pursue successful music career, releasing multiple platinum albums and earning Grammy nominations with songs like Skyscraper, Sorry Not Sorry, and Heart Attack.

But behind the fame and the music, Demi was struggling with a series of serious drug and alcohol issues. From a young age, Demi suffered from addiction, eating disorders, and other mental health challenges. Their struggle with substance abuse, namely opioids and alcohol, were well-documented by the press, and included several rehab visits and a near-fatal overdose in 2018.

Despite these awful experiences, Demi Lovato has used their voice not only to entertain on the stage, but to advocate for opening up on the matter of addiction and mental health. Today, they continue to use their recovery journey as a message to others – that there is always hope, and it is never too late to turn your life around, regardless of the circumstances. In this blog, we’ll chart Demi’s addiction story, and identify what steps you can take if you think you or a loved one is dealing with an alcohol or drug addiction.

Demi Lovato’s Early Battles with Addiction

Even before stepping into the limelight, Demi Lovato’s life was shadowed by addiction. Growing up in an unstable household, Demi experienced emotional trauma very early on in her life. She was also exposed early to the relationship between substance abuse and mental health.

Her father, who battled both addiction and severe mental illness, had a significant influence on her understanding of drugs and alcohol. Demi has spoken candidly about the emotional scars left behind by his absence and his behaviour, acknowledging that his choices left a lasting impression on her own struggles.

The chaos at home was then made worse by other external factors. As a child, Demi faced bullying at school, particularly about her appearance. These experiences deeply impacted her self-esteem and led her to developing an eating disorder, as well as self-harming. At the same time, she was also thrust into the world of performance at a very young age, which also impacted her mental health.

She first performed at beauty pageants and local talent shows, and later appeared TV shows like Barney & Friends and the Disney Channel. Behind the bright lights of the TV studios however, Demi was secretly fighting numerous battles behind the scenes, describing herself as a child consumed by anxiety and dark thoughts.

Demi’s first encounter with substances came shockingly early. After a car accident at age 13, she was prescribed opiates. Not long after, she also began drinking alcohol for the first time. The thrill and relief these substances offered quickly took hold of her.

By the time she was 17 and working full-time for Disney, she had already tried cocaine for the first time. She later admitted that these choices were an attempt to self-medicate the pain of her childhood and the immense pressure of fame.

Demi Lovato’s early story is a powerful reminder that addiction is rarely just about substances. It’s also about pain, inherited patterns, and emotional wounds that run deep. Her journey through the darkest corners of addiction would eventually become one of resilience and advocacy, however.

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Demi Lovato’s Addiction Story: First Rehab and Sobriety Period

In 2010, at just 18 years old, Demi Lovato struggled to keep her battles behind closed doors. Midway through a high-profile tour with the Jonas Brothers, Demi left the stage abruptly and entered an inpatient treatment facility following an altercation with a backup dancer. What followed was a public unravelling that exposed her struggles with addiction, mental illness, and self-destructive behaviours.

At the time, Demi had already been battling bulimia, self-harm, substance misuse and childhood trauma. At this time, her family and managers decided to stage an intervention, encouraging her to finally confront the dangerous cycle she had been spiralling down for years.

During her stay at Timberline Knolls, a rehab centre in Illinois, USA, she received a formal diagnosis of bipolar disorder. She later confessed to using cocaine multiple times a day, even going so far as to smuggle it onto planes. Drugs and alcohol became a means to escape the pain she didn’t yet know how to face, a coping mechanism for the trauma and anxiety she had been experiencing for years.

After undergoing treatment in early 2011, Demi stepped back from her acting career and focused entirely on her music and recovery. That same year, she released Unbroken, an album that featured the emotionally raw single Skyscraper, a powerful anthem that captured her journey from despair to resilience. The public responded with overwhelming support, and Demi leaned into her role as a mental health advocate, using her platform to speak openly about her challenges.

However, like most addiction recoveries, her journey to sobriety wasn’t a straightforward one. Indeed, even after rehab, Demi struggled to maintain sobriety. She eventually moved into a sober living facility, determined to build a foundation for long-term recovery.

Throughout this time, she remained candid about the daily effort it took to stay clean, often describing sobriety as a fight she faced every waking day. Still, the progress was real, as by 2018, Demi had celebrated six years without drugs or alcohol. This milestone was reached thanks to the support of a close-knit recovery circle that included boyfriend at the time Wilmer Valderrama. This highlights the importance of seeking help from those around you when suffering with drug or alcohol dependency.

Demi Lovato’s first chapter in recovery was one of both progress and pain, a powerful reminder that healing is rarely straightforward. Her willingness to confront these struggles publicly has helped to reduce stigma around addiction and mental illness, inspiring countless others to seek help of their own.

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Demi Lovato’s Addiction Story: OD and Relapse

Unfortunately, Demi’s hard-won sobriety came to an end shortly after. In June 2018, Demi released the haunting single Sober, which amounted to a painful admission that she had relapsed. Just a month later, she suffered a near-fatal overdose that would once again send her back into intensive treatment.

Demi later reflected that her eating disorder, which had persisted even during her years of sobriety, played a major role in the relapse. Feeling emotionally overwhelmed, Demi turned to drugs again, this time even more dangerously than before. Over the following weeks, her substance use escalated rapidly and involved an array of drugs, including cocaine, OxyContin, methamphetamine, and eventually heroin. What began as an attempt to cope spiralled into physical dependency.

Everything came to a head on the night of July 24, 2018. After contacting her dealer, Demi used what she believed was heroin, unaware it was laced with fentanyl. The next morning, she was found unconscious at her Los Angeles home. Her assistant dialled 911, and paramedics arrived just in time to administer Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. It was a life-or-death moment—and she had come terrifyingly close to the latter.

Demi was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, where she remained hospitalised for nearly two weeks. The overdose had catastrophic consequences. She suffered three strokes and a heart attack, along with organ failure that required dialysis. The near-fatal incident left her with lasting brain damage, including visual impairments, hearing loss, and ongoing tinnitus. Doctors later told her she was just minutes away from death.

This devastating period marked a profound turning point in Demi Lovato’s life. It revealed just how relentless and life-threatening addiction can be—and also how crucial ongoing care and honesty are in the recovery process. Despite everything, Demi emerged from the darkest chapter of her life determined to use her voice, not just to sing, but to help others survive.

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Recovery and Advocacy

Slowly, Demi began returning to public life, but this time on her own terms. In 2021, she released the powerful docuseries Dancing with the Devil, which laid bare the harrowing details of her addiction story and recovery journey. The series, paired with her album Dancing with the Devil… The Art of Starting Over, signalled not just a musical comeback, but a powerful personal one. She transformed her story into a beacon for others, proving that vulnerability can be a source of strength.

Throughout her journey, Demi has continued to challenge traditional notions of recovery. She’s been vocal about the importance of tailoring treatment to individual needs and has emphasised that sobriety is not a one-size-fits-all process. Therapy, supportive communities, self-reflection, and a willingness to confront painful truths have all been key to her ongoing healing.

Now, several years on, Demi Lovato stands as a powerful advocate for mental health and addiction awareness. She speaks openly about the long-term consequences of drug use and the emotional scars of trauma.

Her recovery is still in progress, as all recoveries are, but her willingness to share the darkest chapters of her life has given light to so many others walking similar paths.

The Support Available at New Leaf Recovery

If you or someone you love is struggling with drug or alcohol dependency, Demi Lovato’s journey serves as a powerful example: it’s never too late to ask for help. Remember, recovery is always possible.

New Leaf Recovery is here to help you along this journey; our experienced team offers compassionate, confidential support to guide you through every stage of recovery, helping you build a healthier, more hopeful future.

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