In an interview for the July edition of American Way magazine, the ‘Heart Attack’ singer also opened up about how she used to self-medicate with alcohol, cocaine and OxyContin (a synthetic analgesic drug which is similar to morphine in its effects), reports aceshowbiz.com. Lovato recalled a moment when she didn’t think she would make it to her 21st birthday.
“I lived fast and I was going to die young. I didn’t think I would make it to 21,” Lovato revealed. The 23-year-old star checked into rehab for three months in 2011 and she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She was afraid that she would be over-exposed by the media.
“So now I’m in rehab. And I thought, ‘Oh great, now the world thinks I’m just another stereotype.’ I thought, ‘I’m not in treatment for a drug and alcohol problem. But once I started eating again, the other issues got worse. It was like whack-a-mole’,” Lovato said.
She also spoke about her eating disorder, which began when she was a child. Her mother and her grandmother had both struggled with bulimia, an eating disorder usually characterised by periods of excessive overeating.
“Even though I was 2 or 3 years old. Being around somebody who was 80 pounds and had an active eating disorder...it’s hard not to grow up like that,” Lovato said.