[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Demi Lovato is getting really, really real about what she’s been through in her life.
The 30-year-old singer sat down with Andy Cohen for his SiriusXM show Andy Cohen Live on Wednesday and opened up quite a bit about the 2018 overdose that nearly killed her. She still feels the effects of that near-death experience now five years later. And not only the emotional and psychological after-effects, either — the songstress revealed to Andy that she is still very much dealing with lingering physical issues.
Related: Demi ‘Got Tired’ Of Using ‘They/Them’ Pronouns — And Twitter Has THOUGHTS!
During Wednesday’s radio chat, the Wouldn’t Change A Thing singer said she, well, wouldn’t change her path following the overdose. She explained that she doesn’t have any regrets about how things have happened in her life with all this stuff… except for the lead-up to the actual overdose itself:
“I wouldn’t change my path because I don’t have any regrets. When I think about things, the closest thing that I get to a regret is when I overdosed. … I wish somebody had told me, one, that I was beautiful because I didn’t believe it. And two, I wish that someone would’ve told me that if you just sit with the pain, it passes. That you don’t have to use over it.”
Then, sadly, she went on to reveal that she still has major health issues including visual and auditory processing problems due to the fallout from the near-death experience:
“And that overdose caused me, you know, a lot of, it actually caused a disability. I have vision impairment and hearing impairment to this day.”
Ugh.
She is choosing to look on the bright side, though. Demi explained how she has chosen to use those hearing and vision problems as a “constant reminder” about how close she came to things being far worse:
“It’s a daily constant reminder. You know, anytime I look at something, like I have blind spots in my vision when I look at your face and so it’s a constant reminder to stay on the right path because I never want that to happen again.”
Then, she went on:
“Luckily in the mind state that I’m in now, you know, being sober, having a clear head, I just think in a more positive mind space and I’m not focusing on the shame at all. Because I know I have a lot of sympathy for where I was at that time and the choices that I made and I understand why it happened and what happened. But there’s no shame that comes with it because it was just a life lesson that I had to learn.”
And near the end of the poignant clip, as Andy was discussing gratitude and the decision to optimistically realize things could have been much worse, Demi agreed:
“Speaking of gratitude, it could have been so much worse, so it’s a reminder that I came close to it being so much worse and I’m grateful that it is only what it is. … There’s a group of women that are sober and I’m on a gratitude list chain and every day we send each other gratitude lists.”
Well, that part is very hopeful, at least.
Related: Demi Claims She Took A Legit Photo Of A UFO?!
You can watch it all for yourself (below):
Demi also spoke about happier issues during the long interview, as well.
In one clip, the Disney alum admitted that she would “never say never” on making more pop music:
And in another more optimistic segment, she praised American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson and revealed her longstanding dream of one day doing a collaboration with the singer-turned-talk show host:
We’d LOVE to hear that song! For sure!
Sending love and light to Demi through it all.
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org.
[Image via SiriusXM/YouTube]