On the morning of July 24, Demi Lovato was rushed to the hospital after a narcotics overdose at her home. Luckily, a friend was able to use Narcan, an emergency medicine used to reverse the effects of a narcotic overdose, to revive her while the paramedics arrived. Supposedly, these friends were carrying Narcan because they were afraid something like this would happen. As of now, she is in the hospital, awake and recovering with her family.
Demi has always been well known for her openness about her long-time struggle with depression, disordered eating habits, self-harm, and addiction to alcohol and other drugs. She has recorded much of her journey in a documentary Simply Complicated, where she opens up about her alcoholism and addiction and what it took for her to finally become sober. Demi has become an advocate and role model for all who struggle with mental health issues and addiction, especially during her sobriety.
In late June, however, Demi released "Sober," a song dictating her recent relapse from her sobriety. Some say that she had been struggling with depression and anxiety again for months before her relapse.
Her relapse and overdose came shortly after her celebration of six years of sobriety.
Now, we can sit here for hours and ask ourselves why her "friends" didn't tell anyone she was using again. We could question the integrity of those she was close to until we are blue in the face, but this issue is so much bigger than that. Because the fact is, it's happening every day.
Yes, Demi is a celebrity. Her life on tour probably exposes her to substances constantly, and she has to work hard to stay sober in the face of the adversity she sees all the time. But what's even crazier is that Demi is also human, just like us. She is proof that addiction and relapses can happen to anyone, from the homeless to everyday citizens, to A-list celebrities. One of the most staggering parts of all of this is that, in the U.S. alone, over 20 million Americans over the age of 12 have an addiction (excluding tobacco). In this, approximately 100 people die every day from drug overdoses; three times higher than it was 20 years ago.
Addiction is a disease, not an easy choice. It is a battle that can't always be permanently won. And it can happen to anyone. The world could have lost Demi that day. Moreover, we are losing many more every day. Somebody's mother, father, sibling. Something has to be done.
It's time. It's time to see addiction for what it is: a mental illness. It's time to start a plan to relieve the country of the opioid crisis that is plaguing America and the world. It's time to focus on what we can do, rather than pretend it doesn't exist. It does.
Show up, friends. If you think a friend or family member might be struggling, speak up. It may save their life.
National Substance Abuse Hotline: 1-800-662-4357
National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
