Almost two weeks ago, Demi Lovato was rushed to hospital following a suspected drug overdose. The 25-year-old has had ongoing problems with addiction and mental illness since her teenage years, and has previously spoken out about her struggles with alcoholism to her millions of fans.

Now, in a statement posted to Instagram, the star has expressed her gratitude to all those who have stuck by her during this difficult time, along with her realisation that she needs "time to heal", as "this illness is not something that disappears".

"I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction," she posted yesterday. 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 continued:

"I want to thank God for keeping me alive and well. 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.

"I want 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.

"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.

"I will keep fighting."

The comments section of the post is full of supportive messages from fans and wellwishers, many of whom have thanked Lovato for helping them with their own addiction problems.

"We love you Demi you are such an inspiration to me and have helped me through tough times," wrote one person. "You are a strong woman keep fighting and I will do the same you are not alone always remember that."

"You are a warrior, and I know that you’ll never stop fighting," said another. "I know that because you helped me get through everything and whenever I’m feeling down I listen to your music, just to realize how much I love you and all scars are battle wounds. So don’t let this break you down, use it as a motive to go ahead."

Following this most recent incident - which was initially misreported as a heroin overdose - the star has agreed to check herself into rehab in order to seek further treatment. This was perhaps partly due to some tough love from her friends, family members, and staff who threatened to cut ties with her if she did not seek help.

"The decision [to go to rehab] is ultimately Demi's, and we're told the people closest to her, along with some of the people who work for her, are going to draw a line in the sand - either go to a facility for help, or lose our number," TMZ reported.

It is not yet clear when the star will be checking herself into a rehabilitation facility, nor how long she intends to stay there. What's important at this time is that she is taking steps towards recovery, and we wish her all the best with this.

Almost two weeks ago, Demi Lovato was rushed to hospital following a suspected drug overdose. The 25-year-old has had ongoing problems with addiction and mental illness since her teenage years, and has previously spoken out about her struggles with alcoholism to her millions of fans.

Now, in a statement posted to Instagram, the star has expressed her gratitude to all those who have stuck by her during this difficult time, along with her realisation that she needs "time to heal", as "this illness is not something that disappears".

"I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction," she posted yesterday. 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 continued:

"I want to thank God for keeping me alive and well. 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.

"I want 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.

"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.

"I will keep fighting."

The comments section of the post is full of supportive messages from fans and wellwishers, many of whom have thanked Lovato for helping them with their own addiction problems.

"We love you Demi you are such an inspiration to me and have helped me through tough times," wrote one person. "You are a strong woman keep fighting and I will do the same you are not alone always remember that."

"You are a warrior, and I know that you’ll never stop fighting," said another. "I know that because you helped me get through everything and whenever I’m feeling down I listen to your music, just to realize how much I love you and all scars are battle wounds. So don’t let this break you down, use it as a motive to go ahead."

Following this most recent incident - which was initially misreported as a heroin overdose - the star has agreed to check herself into rehab in order to seek further treatment. This was perhaps partly due to some tough love from her friends, family members, and staff who threatened to cut ties with her if she did not seek help.

"The decision [to go to rehab] is ultimately Demi's, and we're told the people closest to her, along with some of the people who work for her, are going to draw a line in the sand - either go to a facility for help, or lose our number," TMZ reported.

It is not yet clear when the star will be checking herself into a rehabilitation facility, nor how long she intends to stay there. What's important at this time is that she is taking steps towards recovery, and we wish her all the best with this.