Demi Lovato
Image Source: File:Demi Lovato 09-16-2017 -12 (37130142411).jpg: Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USAderivative work: Minerva97, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What was the Accusation?
Singer and actress Demi Lovato faced intense public attention in July 2018 after being hospitalized following a drug overdose at her Los Angeles home. Lovato, who had spoken publicly for years about addiction and sobriety, had celebrated six years of sobriety earlier in 2018. In June, however, she released the song “Sober,” in which she disclosed that she had relapsed. On July 24, emergency responders transported the 25-year-old singer to a hospital after a medical emergency at her Hollywood Hills residence. Early reports incorrectly identified heroin as the substance involved; CBS News subsequently reported that a source said the overdose was not from heroin, while Lovato’s representative cautioned that some information circulating publicly was inaccurate.
Lovato remained hospitalized and, on August 5, 2018, addressed the incident publicly for the first time in a statement posted to Instagram. Rather than treating the overdose as an isolated event, Lovato framed it as part of an ongoing struggle with addiction. She acknowledged that she had not yet overcome the illness, expressed gratitude to God, her fans, family, professional team, and the staff of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and announced that she needed time to concentrate on sobriety and recovery. The statement concluded with a commitment to continue fighting her addiction. Lovato subsequently entered treatment. Years later, she disclosed that the 2018 overdose had been life-threatening and had resulted in three strokes, a heart attack, and lasting health consequences.
Key Apologia Strategies:
Mortification, Corrective Action, Bolstering
Video
Transcript
Demi Lovato Instagram Statement (August 5, 2018):