Demi Lovato has been frank about her struggles with substance abuse and mental health disorders. While the singer, songwriter and actress has finally overcome her addiction to alcohol, she cannot stop thanking her fans for their continuous love, support and forgiveness all these years. Having completed her sixth anniversary of being sober on March 16, 2018, she tweeted with rejoice – “Just officially turned 6 years sober. So grateful for another year of joy, health and happiness. It IS possible.”

In an emotional address to her fans during her concert at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Demi spoke how six years ago she made a decision that changed her life and made her start the journey to sobriety. She recalled how she no longer found “drinking vodka out of a Sprite bottle at 9 in the morning” and throwing up afterward in the car a fun. That was the moment when she had discovered that she was becoming more and more like her abusive father, that something needed to be changed and she needed to get sober.

Need to talk about mental health and remove stigma

Demi said that she decided to share her story to tell others, who were dealing with similar issues, that it is okay to have a mental illness or an addiction problem. But it’s important to take care of oneself. She also spoke on the importance of raising awareness about mental health issues and taking the stigma away from it. According to her, by sharing her personal struggles she could help others who do not have the courage to ask for support.

She thanked her fans for their unconditional love and acceptance. The emotional address was followed by the singer dedicating the song “Warrior” from the album “Demi” to all her fellow warriors in the world.

The singer celebrated her six years of sobriety on Instagram with a “Self Love” T-shirt and a message thanking her family, friends and the treatment facility. She also shared a message that a huge part of her recovery was learning to love herself and to give back to others.

Inspiring others to live well

In addition to her alcohol and drug problem, the singer has also acknowledged her struggles with bipolar and eating disorder as well as self-harm. She had previously shared her journey of sobriety in two documentaries – “Demi Lovato: Stay Strong” in 2012 and “Simply Complicated” in 2017. She admitted that staying clean is an everyday battle. Some days are harder and some easier, but one needs to stick to his/her goals.

Last year, the former Disney star had also spoken about breaking free from social constructs, and how rather being labeled as someone with bipolar disorder, she would be proud of being called an “activist.” The singer believes that just like her, the goal of everyone with a mental illness should be to recognize their condition and live well with it. She has also inspired her mother to deal with her own mental health issues in the past. During her current tour, she is offering free therapy sessions to her fans before each show.

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