Demi Lovato revealed she was just minutes away from death in her July 2018 drug overdose and had to “essentially die to wake up.”
The pop superstar spoke about the aftermath of her very public health emergency during an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning,” which aired Sunday.
“The doctors told me that I had five to 10 minutes. If no one had found me, then I wouldn’t be here,” the “Sorry Not Sorry” singer told CBS News’ Tracy Smith.
“I’m grateful that I am sitting here today,” she added.
Recently, the 28-year-old singer, actress and activist released a brutally honest documentary, in which she opens up about her struggles with addiction, as well as her experiences as a sexual assault survivor.
“Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil,” which premiered at the virtual South by Southwest festival, is streaming on YouTube as a four-part docuseries: two episodes aired March 23, and then a new episode will air the following two Tuesdays.
Lovato, who had used heroin laced with fentanyl that night, said that after she overdosed, she was sexually molested by her drug dealer.
“I was literally left for dead after he took advantage of me,” she said in the documentary.
When she woke up in the hospital, Lovato said she was legally blind. Today, more than two years later, the singer still deals with blinds spots in her vision, as well as hearing loss, and tinnitus.
The former Disney star had previously discussed her addiction struggles in another interview with the program.
“We had a similar conversation in 2016,” Smith told the singer. “What happened?”
“I was probably 24 when we did the interview [and I was] in recovery for a bunch of things,” a visibly emotional Lovato said. But even after being sober for many years, she was still feeling “miserable,” the Grammy-nominated singer said.
That prolonged period of sadness led to her near-death experience.
During her revealing interview, Lovato talked about her new music, her documentary, and her first televised performance after the OD – a touching rendition of “Anyone,” a track she reportedly wrote just days before her medical emergency, at the 2020 Grammy Awards ceremony.
Lovato also revealed that her path forward includes the moderate use of alcohol and marijuana.
“I would say that, like, I think the term that I best identify with is ‘California sober,’ ” she said.
“You know, I am cautious to say that just like I feel the complete abstinent method isn’t a one-size-fits-all for everybody. … I don’t think that this journey of moderation is a one-size-fits-all solution for everybody, too.”
But she says moderation is working for her.
“I feel good,” she now says. “I feel more joy in my life than I’ve ever felt because … I’m not …quieting or diminishing any part of myself.”
