Demi Lovato thankful to be alive after overdose

SINGER/ACTRESS Demi Lovato, seen here attending the world premiere of Smurfs: The Lost Village in Hollywood on April 1, 2017, said Sunday that she was thankful to be alive and needed time to recover in her first remarks since an overdose nearly two weeks ago. — AFP

LOS ANGELES — Pop star Demi Lovato said Sunday she was thankful to be alive and needed time to recover in her first remarks since an overdose nearly two weeks ago. Writing to her more than 70 million followers on Instagram, Lovato gave few details on her July 24 hospitalization but noted that she has long been open about her struggles with addiction. “What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time,” the 25-year-old star wrote. “It is something that I must continue to overcome and have not done yet,” she wrote. “I want to thank God for keeping me alive and well,” she said, adding that she was “forever grateful” for the support of her fans and crediting the staff of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with saving her life. Lovato, who canceled a show in Atlantic City that had been planned for two days after her hospitalization, suggested that she may not be returning to the public eye soon. “I now need time to heal and focus on my sobriety and road to recovery,” she wrote. — AFP