There & Back: Celebrities Who Survived A Drug Overdose

The world is all too familiar with the tragic celebrity overdose story. Talented artists gripped by addiction die at too young an age. From Jimi Hendrix and John Belushi to Heath Ledger and Mac Miller, celebrities of all backgrounds have fallen victim to addiction. But a drug overdose does not always equal death. There are people, and celebrities, who overdose and use that as a wake-up call to seek help and overcome addiction.

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While most addiction stories don't have happy endings, these are the ones with hope. From Demi Lovato, Demi Moore and Eminem to Steven Tyler and Alec Baldwin, these are the celebrities who have used their drug overdose experience to help others battling addiction.

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The faces that fill this gallery will surprise you. Before scrolling through this, you may have had no idea that these stars battled addiction. But once you're done, you'll be grateful they bravely shared their stories.

In July of 2018, singer and actress Demi Lovato overdosed on heroin. The 25-year-old "Sorry Not Sorry" singer was rushed to the hospital after being found by her assistant. Lovato had previously confessed to struggling with an eating disorder, bipolar disorder and had made public that she’d relapsed on drugs and alcohol after six years of sobriety in her heartbreaking song "Sober." Lovato entered a rehab center for 90 days after her overdose and continues to be open with her fans regarding her journey to maintain sobriety.

Rap superstar Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, has taken things to a deeper level his entire career ... from his lyrics to his feuds and to his drug use. In his biography, Not Afraid: The Evolution of Eminem by Anthony Bozza, the rapper finally made public his crippling addiction to the prescription painkiller and opiate Vicodin. Mathers claimed he was up to nearly “30 Vicodin a day" and in 2007 took the equivalent of "four bags of heroin." Mathers revealed that he was two hours away from death before being treated by doctors. After being released, he reached out to Elton John, himself 30 years sober. They maintained weekly check-ins to help Mathers maintain his sobriety.

Singer Tony Bennet has always appeared to be a cool crooner, but in the 1970s his tumultuous personal life nearly boiled over and out of control. Bennet began a rocky couple of years when he lost a record contract with Columbia and went into debt. Soon after his mother passed away. Then in 1979, Bennet overdosed on cocaine and passed out in the bathtub. He was found by his second wife, Sandy Grant, and rushed to the hospital. Bennet credits his son Danny with helping him clean up after.

In January of 2012 actress Demi Moore suffered a seizure after inhaling nitrous oxide. Two months earlier, Moore had caught her then husband Ashton Kutcher cheating and was now losing weight and misusing medication. It was during a party at her residence where Moore did “whip-its” with her daughter, then took a hit from a joint rolled with synthetic marijuana. Immediately after, Moore began convulsing and her friends called 911.

Singer Pink may be a pop star now, but when she was growing up she was purely a club kid. Pink revealed that from the time that she was 13 to age 15 she was a fixture in the rave scene. Finally when she was 15, she nearly overdosed on a combination of ecstasy, crystal meth and acid. These days, the singer says she sticks to wine.

Singer Steven Tyler lives a clean and sober life now, but during the 70s and 80s the frontman for Aerosmith partied as hard as anyone. The lead singer was abusing heroin right as the band began to peak in popularity. Tyler admits that he almost died “three or four times.” It took the band’s manager forcing him into rehab for the singer to finally clean up.

Star Alec Baldwin may not be the first person you think of when you picture Hollywood sobriety, but the silver screen and TV veteran got sober all the way back in 1985. Baldwin revealed in his memoir, “Nevertheless: A Memoir", that when he was about to turn 27 and starring on the soap opera Knots Landing he was using drugs and drinking heavily. It took an overdose in February of 1985 to turn him on to sobriety.

Mötley Crüe bass player Nikki Sixx has a slightly different story from those who overdosed, nearly died, then used their experience as a wake-up call to get clean. Sixx actually did die but lived to tell about it! In December of 1987, Sixx was in Hollywood shooting heroin in between shots of booze and cocaine. Sixx suffered an overdose and while being transported to the hospital, he was declared medically dead for two minutes. It took the paramedics injecting him with adrenaline to finally restart his heart and save his life.