Demi Lovato Talks How Substance Abuse Began At 13 After Car Accident

Gaining as much fame as Demi Lovato has over the years is undoubtedly a thrilling journey but hers was sadly associated with substance abuse struggles.

The Grammy nominee has battled addiction for a long time which has undoubtedly affected her in numerous ways, leading to her having to undergo rehab and various treatments. She has constantly been open about her addiction experience on several platforms. Recently, she gave an insight into what her life was all about as a teenager dealing with substance abuse.

Sitting down with Alexandra Cooper for a new episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, Lovato spoke on her struggles with substance abuse in the past, revealing that it all began in her early teens. She told the host, "I started experimenting for the first time when I was 12 or 13. I got into a car accident, and they prescribed me opiates."

The 30-year-old songstress added that her mother never thought she would have to confine the drugs away from her teenage daughter, but at that point, the then-youngster was already drinking. Eventually, her mom took the pills away and "locked" and locked them up after discovering how many had been taken by the vocalist.

Lovato, who had been bullied as a teenager and was looking for an escape, did not only experiment with drugs but also tried alcohol and "drank a lot" at that age. She used to steal beer from her stepfather's fridge and revealed she was "alone" the first time she downed the intoxicant. Her older self now believes that that should have been a "major red flag."

The "Camp Rock" star did not stop with the mere drinking but developed into alcoholism and heavy drug usage, including cocaine, toward the end of her teenagehood. From the age of fifteen, she frequently stole her mother's Xanax as the older woman had a Xanax addiction. While in the following years, the teenager's cocaine journey began.

Lovato explained, "At 17, it was the first time I tried coke and, like, loved it too much and then kinda bled into me going to treatment right after I turned 18." Earlier in her teens, when she experimented with alcohol on her own, she weighed ninety pounds and used to take about four beers to know what it would feel like.

Although she had her first beer alone, she eventually started drinking with friends. This continued till she got older, bleeding into her drug usage and abuse. Her management was not into the idea of her pills intake, so they wanted to know what was going on and tried to help, but she came up with several excuses about being okay.

Even so, the "Skyscraper" singer ultimately suffered consequences, leading to her needing assistance with her addiction and having to go away. Her family and team were really supportive as they knew it had been a "long time coming."   It is worth knowing that back in January, Lovato ended another time in rehab three years after overdosing in 2018, causing her to suffer three strokes and a heart attack.

Despite the near fatality, she maintained a "California sober" lifestyle and was still hooked on alcohol and marijuana in moderation. However, later in December 2021, the "Here We Go Again" singer turned a new leaf as she announced that she had given up her "California sober" ways. 

As if dealing with addiction wasn't enough but growing up as a Disney star was not always so rosy for Lovato. The Blast reported that she recently made a revelation about the channel via a teaser video of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast. She recounted the "golden era of Disney," mentioning Raven-Symoné, Hillary Duff, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez ruling TV screens by being featured in much-loved shows for nearly a decade.

The "Sorry Not Sorry" singer knew her life would change as she joined Disney, which was a pretty big deal, but she encountered several hurdles along the way. She confessed that there was always the pressure of being replaceable, and at the time, she was paying for her family's accommodations.

Lovato further said, "I would go so far as to say there was a brainwashing element to it. They like barricaded me into my hotel room, and put furniture outside my door so that I couldn't get out."