Testing It Up

Young star Demi Lovato has spoken out a few times about the various challenges that she has encountered in her life – including drug use and an eating disorder.

Lovato talked about struggling with depression, bullying, eating disorder and self-harm, among others. She also talked about how young Hollywood is able to get their hands on drugs and alcohol.

The 19-year-old singer, who went into rehab when she was 18, shared that her drug and alcohol use stemmed from her loneliness.

The New York Post shared the following response from Lovato, when she was asked if she had been using cocaine: “It’s something I don’t really want to talk about… What I can say is that I was depressed. I would come off stage in front of 18,000 people and suddenly be alone in a hotel room. I’d come crashing down and would try to find a way to recreate that feeling, to stay ‘up.’”

Lovato revealed further that it was not a problem to gain access to drugs and alcohol, saying: “Promoters gave me drugs and alcohol in restaurants or clubs… They wanted me to come back so I would be seen there. They were basically kissing my [expletive.]”

She also said: “I thought they were my friends. I thought I was having fun. Being a celebrity can be dangerous. Nobody says ‘no.’ That’s why so many end up overdosing and dying. It could definitely have happened to me.”

The singer said that she no longer drinks alcohol, although she admitted that she was still struggling with self harm and bulimia.

In the February issue of Seventeen magazine, Disney star Demi Lovato finally talks about her struggle with drugs and alcohol.

In the interview, the teen star talks candidly about her emotional breakdown and rehab stint. It can be recalled that in October 2010, Lovato had cut her music tour to go into rehab, reportedly for emotional and physical issues.

At that time, Lovato’s rep released the following statement: “Demi has decided to take personal responsibility for her actions… she is doing just that.” TMZ reported that Lovato was seeking treatment for self-injury, as well as an eating disorder, as opposed to substance abuse.

The 19-year-old star of ‘Sonny with a Chance’ shared the following with Seventeen: “I’m not gonna lie. I was self medicating. I was doing things like drinking and using [drugs], like a lot of teens do to numb their pain.”

She also shared her utmost appreciation for the support extended by two other Disney stars, who stood by her through thick and thin: Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.

There were rumors that Lovato had been using cocaine, which surfaced around time that she went into rehab.

Eyewitnesses reportedly saw Lovato using cocaine and alcohol in Texas in December 2009, according to Life and Style: “She was doing line after line like a pro – and she was 17 at the time. I just remember her doing it as if she had been doing it for a long time. It didn’t seem like something new to her.”

Now, however, Demi shares that she has a new outlook on life: “I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs, I don’t throw up after my meals, I don’t starve myself. There’s nothing that I do that I feel ashamed of.”

Demi Lovato owns up to drug and alcohol use