Former Disney star Demi Lovato talked about her ongoing battle with sobriety, admitting she had a “rough time” last year and has been dealing with “survivor’s guilt” after her overdose in 2018.
During “The Zane Lowe Show on Apple Music” Wednesday, the 29-year-old singer/actress talked about her battle with addiction, her rehab stint in 2021, and how she’s been dealing with the guilt of surviving the overdose she had in July 2018 during which she nearly died.
“Everything that I write about comes from personal experiences, and I had gone through a rough time last year,” Lovato shared. “And I went back to treatment, and when I came out, I had all of this unresolved trauma that like I hadn’t dealt with, or that I started to deal with in treatment. And then when I came out, I was like, ‘It’s OK to be angry and feel those things.’”
Later, she talked about dealing with “survivor’s guilt,” citing those who have been in the same battle and didn’t make it out alive.
“I had a lot of survivor’s guilt after my overdose because … right after that, [rapper] Mac Miller died, and it just put everything into perspective for me of, ‘That could have been you, that almost was you, and how are you going to live your life now?’” the pop singer shared. “And it was really — it affected me a lot.”
Lovato explained just how close she was to death, stating that “doctors said I had like five to ten more minutes left. If no one had to come in when they did, I wouldn’t be here today.”
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The “Sober” hitmaker was rushed to the hospital on July 24, 2018. She remained there for several weeks and then immediately went into rehab. Miller suffered an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol, and died on September 7, 2018, Billboard magazine noted.
The “Heart Attack” hitmaker also touched on being thrown into the spotlight at such a young age as a Disney Channel star and pop star. She made it clear she wouldn’t want her own child to get into the industry until they are 18.
“But in your teens, people who aren’t in the spotlight are still trying to figure themselves out,” Demi shared. “They’re going to parties. They’re making mistakes.”
“And it’s like, if you’re a 15-year-old and you’re making mistakes, it’s magnified. I don’t know,” she added. “If I were to have kids and they came to me and said, ‘Mom, I want to be in the industry,’ I would have to say, ‘Please wait until you’re 18. Give yourself a childhood.’”
Related: ‘Nobody’s Perfect’: Disney Star Demi Lovato Explains Why She’s Going Back To ‘She/Her’ Pronouns