Singer Demi Lovato has said she is thankful to be alive and needs time to recover after a suspected drug overdose almost two weeks ago.
In her first public comments since she was found unconscious by paramedics at her Hollywood home, the 25-year-old told her 70 million followers on Instagram that she remains committed to overcoming addiction.
"I will keep fighting," she wrote.
"What I've learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time.
"It is something that I must continue to overcome and have not done yet."
Lovato, who cancelled a show in Atlantic City that had been scheduled for two days after she was taken to hospital, 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.
"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
The New Mexico-born singer also thanked staff at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, where she was taken after falling ill on 24 July.
Lovato was reportedly treated with Narcan - an emergency treatment for narcotic overdoses.
"I want to thank God for keeping me alive and well," she said, adding that she was "forever grateful".
Lovato found fame as a child on the TV series Barney & Friends before appearing in the Disney Channel film Camp Rock.
She has since gone on to be a multi-platinum pop star with hits such as Sorry Not Sorry, Skyscraper and Heart Attack.
Lovato has been open about her addictions and her struggles with bipolar disorder and an eating disorder.
n June she released a song called Sober in which she indicated she had relapsed after six years of sobriety.
The Let It Go singer has also worked with charities in the US to raise awareness of mental illness.
Source : Sky News
