(CNN) Demi Lovato has released a new single that reveals a heartbreaking setback in her road to recovery from addiction.
In her new single, titled "Sober," a candid Lovato admits to suffering a relapse. Her song comes just weeks after she celebrated six years of sobriety
"To the ones who never left me, we've been down the road before. I'm so sorry. I'm not sober anymore," she sings in the tune.
Lovato has always been an open when it comes to her mental health and struggles with substance abuse
In the past, Lovato has spoken candidly in various interviews about her use of cocaine and addiction to alcohol, as well as her struggle with an eating disorder
"Sober" does not reveal the nature of Lovato's relapse, but she sings, "I'm sorry for the fans I lost who watched me fall again. I want to be a role model but I'm only human."
Lovato released "Sober" on Thursday.
In an Instagram post, Lovato teased the track with a clip of a lyric video and a short caption that read, "My truth."
Despite Lovato's struggles, she put a happier foot forward on Wednesday, sharing a selfie with a caption that assured fans she's "happy and free."
In her song, Lovato adds, "I'm sorry that I'm here again. I promise I'll get help."
Demi Lovato is facing some hard truths in her new song “Sober.”
Without warning, the singer released the song on Thursday. It seems to indicate she’s relapsed after six years of sober living.
Lovato has been open about her deeply personal struggles with drugs and alcohol. At the height of her fame as a Disney Channel star, in 2010, the pop star checked into rehab, where she was officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated for addiction, self-harm and bulimia.
“Momma, I’m so sorry I’m not sober anymore / Daddy, please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor,” she sings in the ballad’s powerful chorus. “To the ones who never left me we’ve been down this road before.”
Lovato released a lyric video alongside the song, which begins with flashes of a room in disarray with empty bottles and clothes strewn across the floor.
At one of her lowest points, Lovato heavily depended on cocaine to get her through the day, forcing her to take the drug everywhere she went, including airplanes.
“I wasn’t working my program. I wasn’t ready to get sober. I was sneaking it on planes, sneaking it in bathrooms, sneaking it throughout the night. Nobody knew,” she revealed in her YouTube documentary “Simply Complicated.”
The former Disney star recently shut down speculation that she was drinking again after singer Hayley Kiyoko posted a photo of Lovato holding a cup of an unidentified liquid with a group of friends.
“I don’t have to defend anything but it was Red Bull,” Lovato fired back after a fan questioned her sobriety.
A post shared by Hayley Kiyoko fan❤️🌈 (@hayleykiyokogirl) on Apr 7, 2018 at 4:11am PDT
Every March, Lovato celebrates her sober anniversary, posting a heartfelt message to her fans.
“Just officially turned 6 years sober. So grateful for another year of joy, health and happiness. It IS possible,” she wrote earlier this year, earning praise from friends like Ellen DeGeneres.
Just officially turned 6 years sober. So grateful for another year of joy, health and happiness. It IS possible. 🙏🏼 — Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) March 15, 2018
But her journey has not been without ups and downs. Lovato revealed that a “terrible experience” at the Met Gala in 2016 nearly drove her to drink. She texted her manager and then promptly attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that same night.
Demi Lovato recently relapsed.
On Thursday, the pop star, 25, released a new single, “Sober,” in which she reveals she broke her sobriety.
“Mama, I’m so sorry I’m not sober anymore / And daddy please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor,” she sings on the heartbreaking piano ballad. “And I’m sorry for the fans I lost who watched me fall again / I wanna be a role model, but I’m only human.”
At the end of the track, Lovato sings: “I’m sorry that I’m here again / I promise I’ll get help / It wasn’t my intention / I’m sorry to myself.”
Lovato has battled addiction, mental illness and disordered eating for years. In 2011, she entered treatment, where she was treated for bipolar disorder, bulimia, self-harm and addiction. She relapsed after she left the treatment center, then entered a sober living facility for a year.
Last March, Lovato revealed she celebrated six years of sobriety.
Demi Lovato Neilson Barnard/Getty
But in April, fans online speculated that Lovato had fallen off the wagon when the same photo was posted to separate Instagram accounts: In one post by singer Hayley Kiyoko, Lovato was holding a cup containing a yellow liquid; in the other, the cup appeared to be blurred out.
“I’m not tryna question Demi’s sobriety bc I have a lot of respect for her,” one person commented. “It just seems weird that her best friends post this pic with it shaded and then Hayley who isn’t rlly that close to Demi posts the one where you can see what she’s holding?? Like tf is going on.”
Lovato responded: “I don’t have to defend anything but it was Red Bull.”
I’m absolutely heartbroken that I have to make this announcement today… due to production issues we have to move the South America #tellmeyoulovemetour dates 😔 Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Panama I’m devastated we had to remove those shows. https://t.co/rXn1V4RprD pic.twitter.com/j56IKtJdhv — Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) April 10, 2018
A few days after the Instagram post made the rounds, Lovato announced that she would be canceling the remainder of the South America dates of her Tell Me You Love Me World Tour.
“I’m absolutely heartbroken that I have to make this announcement today… due to production issues we have to move the South America #tellmeyoulovemetour dates,” Lovato tweeted April 10. “Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Panama I’m devastated we had to remove those shows.”
RELATED: Everything Demi Lovato Has Said About Her Sobriety Journey
In September 2017 Lovato was honored with the “Spirit of Sobriety” award at the Brent Shapiro Foundation for Drug Prevention Summer Spectacular in Beverly Hills.
“Every day is a battle,” she said at the time. “You just have to take it one day at a time, some days are easier than others and some days you forget about drinking and using, but for me, I work on my physical health, which is important, but my mental health as well.”
Demi Lovato appeared to reveal that she is no longer sober in a surprise single she dropped on Thursday.
In the emotional new track, dubbed “Sober,” Lovato sings about relapsing after six years of sobriety.
“Momma I’m so sorry I’m not sober anymore / And Daddy please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor,” Lovato belts out in the chorus. “To the ones who never left me, we’ve been down this road before / I’m so sorry, I’m not sober anymore.”
Lovato also apologizes to her fans in the song, singing, “I’m sorry for the fans I lost, who watched me fall again / I wanna be a role model, but I’m only human.”
The singer tweeted the single out, saying “My truth…” on Thursday.
In 2010, at age 18, the former Disney star entered rehab to seek treatment for substance abuse, depression and bulimia. Since then, she has spoken openly about her struggles with drug and alcohol addiction.
“Surrendering is the most important thing whenever you’re trying to battle your demons,” she told People in 2017. “You have to admit that you have a problem first, and then you can overcome them.”
Listen to “Sober” below.
