Demi Lovato speaks out in first statement since suspected overdose
![Demi Lovato](https://www.thepinknews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/GettyImages-960656228.jpg?w=792&h=416&crop=1)
Demi Lovato. (LISA O’CONNOR/AFP/Getty)
Demi Lovato has promised she will keep fighting in the first statement issued by the singer and songwriter since a suspected overdose.
In her statement on Instagram on Sunday (August 5), Demi addressed the issue of substance abuse head on, writing: “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction. What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.”
The 25-year-old star, who had celebrated six years of sobriety in March, was brought to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles on July 24 due to a medical emergency. She had recently released a single called “Sober” where she appeared to suggest she was struggling with addiction again.
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Demi filmed her music video for “Really Don’t Care” at LA Pride (demi lovato/youtube)
In the Instagram post, she thanked everyone who has supported her in the past few weeks: “I want to thank God for keeping me alive and well. To my fans, I am forever grateful for all your love and support.”
“I want to thank my family, my team, and the staff at Cedars-Sinai who have been by my side this entire time. Without them I wouldn’t be here writing this letter to all of you,” she wrote.
Demi then expressed her intention to pursue a path of rehabilitation. “I now need time to heal and focus on my sobriety and road to recovery. The love you have all shown me will never be forgotten and I look forward to the day where I can say I came out on the other side,” she wrote, adding: “I will keep fighting.”
![BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 02: Singer Demi Lovato accepts the Vanguard Award onstage during the 27th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on April 2, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)](https://thepinknews.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2018/07/GettyImages-518812122-650x433.jpg)
Demi accepting the GLAAD Vanguard Award in 2016 (Frederick M. Brown/Getty)
The message, liked by more than 4 million people at the time of writing, received thousands of comments including celebrity friends and fans of the singer who . “Despacito” singer Luis Fonsi, who collaborated with Demi on the Spanish-language track “Échame la Culpa,” wrote: “Mucho amor Demi. We love you.”
Actor Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, wrote: “You will come out on the other side. Stay strong D.”
Singer Camila Cabello let four heart emojis speak for her feelings, while Khloe Kardashian wrote: “You are a warrior!! Focus on you and know that everyone is routing [sic] for you! You are so very loved!!!!!”
![WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 24: Demi Lovato performs "Skyscraper" during the March for Our Lives rally on March 24, 2018 in Washington, DC. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, including students, teachers and parents gathered in Washington for the anti-gun violence rally organized by survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14 that left 17 dead. More than 800 related events are taking place around the world to call for legislative action to address school safety and gun violence. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)](https://thepinknews.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2018/06/GettyImages-937381318-650x433.jpg)
Demi Lovato performs “Skyscraper” at the March for Our Lives rally (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)
Demi has long supported LGBT+ rights, revealing last year that she was open to dating women. An anti-bullying activist, the singer chose Danica Roem, the first transgender person to be elected to the Virginia House of Representatives, to be her date to the American Music Awards.