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Demi Lovato has broken her silence for the first time following her overdose on July 24.
“I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction. What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet,” she wrote on Sunday in a message shared on her Instagram account.
“I want to thank God for keeping me alive and well,” she added, before praising her fans for standing by her through this difficult time.
“To my fans, I am forever grateful for all of your love and support throughout this past week and beyond. Your positive thoughts and prayers have helped me navigate through this difficult time,” she remarked.
Lovato, 25, went on to “thank my family, my team, and the staff at Cedars-Sinai who have been by my side this entire time.”
“Without them I wouldn’t be here writing this letter to all of you,” she explained.
“I now need time to heal and focus on my sobriety and road to recovery. The love you have all shown me will never be forgotten and I look forward to the day where I can say I came out on the other side,” she added.
“I will keep fighting,” she continued, adding a heart emoji.
RELATED: Demi Lovato Has Agreed to Enter Rehab: ‘She Understands the Severity of Her Overdose’ Says Source
Lovato’s heartfelt note came two days after sources told PEOPLE that the “Sorry, Not Sorry” singer has agreed to enter a drug treatment center following her release from Cedars-Sinai in L.A., where she has been hospitalized for the past 12 days.
“Demi is well enough to leave the hospital this weekend. She has agreed to rehab and will go straight to an in-patient facility,” a source explained. “She wants to be sober. She wants to get help. She understands that it will take a lot of work and commitment to stay healthy, but this is what she wants.”
Lovato was rushed to the hospital on the morning of July 24 following the incident at her Hollywood Hills home. Her publicist released a statement that evening confirming Lovato “is awake and with her family who want to express thanks to everyone for the love, prayers and support.”
RELATED VIDEO: Demi Lovato’s Six Years of Sobriety Was a ‘Fight Every Single Day’: Source
A source previously told PEOPLE that Wilmer Valderrama, who dated the singer for six years before their split in June 2016, rushed to Lovato’s side on July 25. He was also seen visiting Lovato again on July 26, when a photo of him at the hospital emerged.
“Her whole family and Wilmer are just there to support her through recovery,” a source told PEOPLE last week, describing the singer’s support system as she continued her recovery process.
“Wilmer has spent hours at the hospital with Demi every day,” a second source added. “He seems very concerned about her.”
RELATED: Demi Lovato Is ‘Getting Better’ as Ex Wilmer Valderrama Spends ‘Hours’ with Her Every Day: Sources
Lovato has long battled addiction, mental illness and disordered eating.
The Disney Channel alum entered treatment in 2010, where she received professional assistance for bipolar disorder, bulimia, self-harm and addiction. Lovato relapsed after she left the treatment center, then entered a sober living facility for a year.
But even after treatment, insiders say she still struggled with her private pain. “Demi was never really clean and sober from all of her demons,” a Lovato source previously told PEOPLE. “She has been fighting depression and anxiety for quite some time — and is still in such a dark place. She was sober for a while, but not completely sober for six years.”
In March, Lovato revealed she celebrated six years of sobriety, but three months later, in June, she released a new song, “Sober,” in which she suggested that she had relapsed.
If you or someone you know is in need of help, please contact the SAMHSA substance abuse helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
Read more: people.com
