It’s no secret that Demi Lovato has experienced some rough years throughout her life. Her 2018 overdose shocked many inside and outside of entertainment, as it followed years of reported sobriety. Since then, Lovato has spoken here and there about her struggles, but the singer decided to really open up recently about the brain damage and personal growth she endured after suffering her overdose.
Over the past few years, Demi Lovato’s struggle with substance abuse and personal issues has been placed more in the public eye, and the former Disney star has been incredibly open about her highs and lows. To the point where Lovato decided to put her struggles with addiction and other personal issues on display in a new four-part docuseries titled Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil. She recently spoke with People Magazine about the upcoming project, revealing more about the lasting effects of her near-fatal 2018 drug overdose.
I was left with brain damage, and I still deal with the effects of that today. I don't drive a car, because I have blind spots in my vision. And I also for a long time had a really hard time reading. It was a big deal when I was able to read out of a book, which was like two months later because my vision was so blurry. I dealt with a lot of the repercussions and I feel like they are still there to remind me of what could happen if I ever get into a dark place again. I'm grateful for those reminders, but I'm so grateful that I was someone that didn't have to do a lot of rehabbing. The rehabbing came on the emotional side.
After making that revelation, Demi Lovato spoke on the personal growth she experienced as she continues her sobriety journey. She mentioned making accountability a huge part of her growth.
I am holding myself accountable. I learned a lot from my past. I was sober for six years and I learned so much from that journey. That's the main thing that I learned was coming forward and talking about my story held me accountable. That's a huge reason as to why I'm doing this [Dancing with the Devil], but I think that I was just so proud of the growth that I experienced and something inside of me was really excited to share that with people.
Speaking on the aftermath of her overdose and holding herself accountable made Demi Lovato’s reasons for doing the documentary even more poignant. In recent years, the singer has been an advocate for addiction awareness. Dancing with the Devil will be the first time she tackled her addiction in such a public manner after 2017’s Simply Complicated.
Demi Lovato’s latest sobriety journey started back in 2018 when she relapsed after being sober for six years, surrounding the release of her single "Sober." She was later hospitalized after suffering the aforementioned overdose, which led to the cancellation of several projects, including her world tour. The singer eventually checked into rehab and a halfway house after her hospitalization. Her overdose caused an outpouring of support from Hollywood, including her ex Wilmer Valderrama. The last two years have seen Lovato flourish, as she sang the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIV along with taking on several acting and music projects.
Hopefully, Demi Lovato telling her addiction and recovery story will inspire current and recovering addicts to seek the help they need. She can act as a mirror for them as they deal with past and present struggles. If you want to check out Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, you can watch the first two episodes on YouTube starting on March 23.
