Even stars fall to the earth. The journey of sobriety is never easy, and at times demons of the past creep up and deter success. On the night of July 24th, Demi Lovato overdosed, allegedly, from Heroin, breaking six years of sobriety. The singer was found unconscious at her home, where paramedics gave her Narcan (a treatment for opioids) before hospitalizing her. A rep for the singer has released the following statement after news broke that Lovato is in conscious and in stable condition: “Demi is awake and with her family who want to express thanks to everyone for the love, prayers and support. Some of the information being reported is incorrect and they respectfully ask for privacy and not speculation as her health and recovery is the most important thing right now.”
Lovato has been open with her struggles with sobriety since becoming sober in 2012. Since her overdose, there is limited information on the cause. However, many are citing Lovato’s last tweet as evidence of her struggle. Lovato recently released a new single on July 21st called “Sober” which discusses her ongoing fight for sobriety. Friends close to Lovato where not surprised about the news. Many stated how they knew the singer had been using again in recent weeks.
There is still a lot of details unreleased about the overdose. For now, it would be best to avoid speculation. As requested by the singer’s rep, Lovato needs time to recover and space to heal. Sobriety, at times, is a private process. We should all be cautious of news stories that try to shame her or sensationalize this story. While Demi Lovato is a famous singer, she is still a human just like you and me, prone to weakness and temptation. What matters now is that she is getting treatment. She may have fallen, but that doesn’t mean she can’t get back up.
Those of you still in recovery, we urge you to not feel discouraged from Lovato’s story, but to find strength in it. We are all in this together, we all struggle throughout our journeys. Soberocity is a space where we help each other along the way. If someone in our community falls, offer your hand to pick them up. Relapse is a possible reality that is often a difficult subject to discuss. If you relapse forgive yourself and continue to seek treatment. Relapse doesn’t make you a failure: it means that you stumbled along your journey.
If a loved one is suffering from an overdose, please call 911 right away to seek medical attention. Remain calm, and do as the 911 operator recommends to the best of your abilities.
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