Demi Lovato opens about physical implications of overdose
Singer-actor Demi Lovato opened up about the aftermath of her near-fatal drug overdose in 2018. The star got candid about the partial blindness she now lives with, explaining how it impacts her daily life.
Reflecting on her long road to recovery following her overdose, Lovato in a new interview with People magazine said that she had to relearn tasks that normally don’t require a second thought.
Speaking about the ill effects of the overdose, she said, “The physical implications of what had happened were really difficult to adjust to. As simple as tweezing your eyebrows, I had to figure out how to look higher so that I could see because my blind spots were in the main focal point of my vision.” “Even putting on a full outfit, I couldn’t see my shoes. I’d have to ask somebody else, ‘Do these shoes go with it?'” recalled the 28-year-old singer, who had organ failure, three strokes and a heart attack during her nearly two-week hospitalization.
Despite her new disabilities, Lovato said that she made a concerted effort to hold onto a “great sense of humour” throughout the entire ordeal. “I find that it’s important to laugh when you can. When I did do things like spill drinks that I was pouring on Thanksgiving with my family and it spilled everywhere, we kind of laughed about it a little because you have to. It’s incredible how the human body just adapts,” she said.
“I didn’t ever have a period of time where I thought, ‘Oh my God, my vision might be gone forever’ [or] go into this panic attack. We just have to adapt, and that’s how I did move forward with it,” said the pop star, whose new YouTube Originals docuseries, ‘Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil’ sheds insight on her difficult recovery. Lovato still struggles with blind spots, hearing loss, and tinnitus but her focus remains on her emotional healing.
“Last year I had just done the Super Bowl and the Grammys, and I was getting ready to finish my album and go on tour — and then the pandemic hit,” she said. The singer added, “It forced me to slow down, and I’m really grateful for that opportunity to self-reflect, go inside and really do the work. I’m myself and I also have a very clear idea of who I am and what I want out of life today.”
Single after calling off a whirlwind engagement last year with actor Max Ehrich, Lovato shared that one of the biggest lessons she has learned is that her “happiness comes from within and no other source.” “I have to be grounded and content on my own. This is a work-in-progress. I am ever-evolving,” she said.
The star added, “I’m not saying that I have it figured out, but I have made changes in my life that best suit me and my recovery and my journey and my growth.” Lovato’s docuseries, which sheds light on her road to recovery, is directed by her friend, OBB Media founder Michael D. Ratner, who said that he learned much of the singer’s story as they went deeper into the filming process.
“I didn’t do deep research, and I had to really go and do all of that stuff as a director, not as a friend,” said Ratner. He added, “She wanted to tell her story and those lowest moments to be represented because as we put in the documentary, you’re not defined by those lowest moments. I can only commend Demi on her bravery for saying, ‘I’m going to show that.'”
Lovato, who also opened up about her experiences with sexual assault, said that she is embracing her second chance. She said, “It feels like such a fresh start. I feel like I am the freest I’ve ever been. It feels great to live in my truth fearlessly.”
She added, “I feel proud, but I also know I’m not hanging my hat up yet. I have so much work to continue to do, and the work that I’ve done has been so exciting because it’s opened up my doors to my spirituality, embracing my identity, coming into myself more and just exploring that.” In July 2018, Lovato was hospitalised after overdosing on drugs at her Hollywood Hills home, which came months after relapsing. Lovato, who battled substance addiction in years past, spent almost two weeks in a hospital before undergoing treatment at a rehab centre and sober living facility.
