After a long period of sobriety, Demi Lovato made headlines when she suffered from a heroin overdose in 2018. This was the inspiration for her new four-part YouTube documentary, “Dancing with the Devil,” named after her new song and album. The documentary’s first and second parts were released on March 23, with the third and fourth parts released on March 30 and April 6, respectively. 

Lovato suffered an overdose from heroin laced with fentanyl on July 24, 2018 and detailed that she still suffers from health problems because of it. Lovato stated that she suffered from three strokes, a heart attack and was told she had between five and 10 minutes left to live. She was also legally blind when she woke up, and can’t drive to this day due to the blind spots in her vision. 

In addition to her overdose, Lovato discusses sensitive topics in her documentary. These  include being sexually assaulted the night of her overdose as well as when she was a teenager, her struggles with eating disorders, other drug use and her failed engagement. The documentary gave viewers more of an insight into what events throughout the course of her life led to her near-fatal overdose. 

Lovato discusses the strain placed on her by her previous team, stating that her food and substance intake as well as the intake of those around her was heavily monitored. She cites this as a contributing factor to her relapse, as she felt like she had to use substances to feel relief from that control. 

Really positive energy is mixed in with these heavy topics, including a message of rebirthing yourself and finding balance in your life. Lovato discusses her lack of balance being a  large contributor to her drug abuse and eating disorder, stating that her struggles have been alleviated most since finding balance in her food and her free time.

Lovato’s stance on her sobriety has been controversial, as she stated in her documentary, that she smokes marijuana and drinks in moderation. While many do not agree with her decision on this matter, her transparency with her audience can be admired and appreciated. Her decision to put up boundaries with her audience regarding what she shares about her recovery is a choice that will hopefully help her in the long run, whether we agree with her approach or not. 

The documentary is very intense and difficult to watch when it comes to the heavy topics discussed, yet the positive message of the film helps prevent all of the focus being on the hard parts of Lovato’s experiences. While you may not agree with every aspect of Lovato’s approach to her recovery, “Dancing with the Devil” is an uplifting documentary that shows how someone rebuilt their life after something very tragic and scary.