Demi Lovato candidly shared her journey through addiction and mental health struggles, revealing that she often felt hopeless during her darkest times.
The 31-year-old singer, who has been to rehab five times for substance abuse, eating disorders, and other mental health issues, spoke about feeling "defeated" each time she entered treatment but eventually finding moments of joy that helped her see a glimmer of hope.
During a heartfelt conversation with Dr. Charlie Shaffer at the Center For Youth Mental Health at New York-Presbyterian's annual benefit on Monday, Lovato expressed how challenging her path to recovery was, according to People magazine.
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She attended the Center For Youth Mental HealthShe explained: "I have been to inpatient treatment five times, and it has something that every single time I walked back into a treatment center, I felt defeated. And I know that experience firsthand, but I think the glimmer of hope was when I started putting in the work and I started to, whether it was work, a programme, or talk to my treatment team and build relationships there."
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She added, "I think the glimmer of hope started to change when I started to find joy and the little things in life. And that was something that was so foreign to me before because I was so used to, so used to not seeing hope."
The Sorry Not Sorry singer also noted that her fifth stint in treatment felt distinctly different as she finally embraced the need for change, stating: "It felt like I had hit rock bottom and I just knew what I needed to do, which was to live a life in recovery. And that was something that I pushed off for so long."
Demi shared how crucial medication has been in her recovery journey, stating: "I also needed the right medication. I think for me medication has helped me tremendously. It's helped so many people tremendously."
She added, "And I think I had hit another low, and I was like, 'what am I doing wrong? ' I felt defeated. But then, when all of the key parts started to fit into place like a perfect puzzle, I started to find the light again."
The 'Confident' singer has come to realize that her mental health issues do not define her identity but are merely a part of her overall self. She explained: "It wasn't until I went into treatment for the first time that I realized this isn't who I am.
"It's just a part of what makes me me, meaning my struggles have shaped me into the pottery that you see today, but it's never become my identity since then. It's just become something about me that makes me a little interesting, I guess you could say." She concluded, "I'm grateful for the things that I've been through and what I've overcome."
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