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Demi Lovato Says She Started Taking Opioids at 13 “Looking For an Escape”


This post originally appeared in Vanity Fair

Demi Lovato, who has struggled with addiction, revealed that they started experimenting with drugs and alcohol at a very young age.

During their appearance on Wednesday’s episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, the pop star opened up about her first-ever experience using drugs. She explained to host Alex Cooper, “I started experimenting for the first time when I was 12, or 13. I got into a car accident and they prescribed me opiates. My mom didn’t think she would have to lock up the opiates from her 13-year-old daughter but I was already drinking at that point. I had been bullied and was looking for an escape.” Lovato added that once their mom realized just how many pills she was taking she “locked them up.”

And it wasn’t just pills they were experimenting with, but also alcohol. The singer explained that during her teenage years she “drank a lot” and she took her first drink alone after stealing a beer from her stepdad’s refrigerator. She said that she now realizes that incident “should have been a major red flag.” She continued, “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.” Lovato admitted that when she did finally decide to receive help her team was “really supportive” as it had been a “long time coming.”

Earlier this week, the Grammy winner was photographed out in Los Angeles celebrating her thirtieth birthday with her new boyfriend, the musician Jutes. And, during her conversation with Cooper, Lovato also opened up about their relationship. While she declined to reveal the identity of her partner on air, she confirmed that everything is “going really well.” 

She shared that as she’s gotten older, she’s realized that while being attracted to someone is great, what really matters is what type of person they are. “I have to laugh. I’ve dated people that were beautiful or sexy…I still am the person I’m dating is so hot and so sexy and I am obsessed,” she said. “But like, the most important thing is eventually over time. We grow old, looks fade and things like that, you have to find someone who completely understands you. But, most importantly to me, makes me laugh.”

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