How We Met: A Tinder Story (Larry Stylinson)✅

Getting Cheesy

A/n: I owe you guys an update - sorry they have slowed down - I have just been tired lately. I am going to be starting a job as a middle school Spanish teacher in September and over the summer I started working a part time job at a tutoring company and the kids are wild. I actually teach them writing believe it or not, but every time I give them a creative writing prompt, they find a way to make their stories violent and inappropriate (ex: about murder, weapons, death, etc.) These kids are 10-11 years old and they literally jump off the walls and don't listen to a word I say and it's so draining. Ugh.

Anyways, I doubt anyone cares about that rant, but I have another rant coming your way and this one's actually important. So I'm not sure if anyone is a Demi Lovato fan, but you've probably heard of her hospitalization for a potential drug overdose. I honestly don't even know what to trust because the facts keep changing and the media sucks but I will say this:

Demi is one of the rare few celebrities who uses her platform to share her personal experiences about mental health. We should all be grateful for her honesty and bravery. Very few people have the courage to speak up about their mental health issues and I'm so thankful that she does.

Honestly, I cannot even put into words how much her voice and her story have helped me through the years. This Larry story does not have a strong focus on mental health (the majority of my other stories do) but I do mention it from time to time. Like Harry in this story, I struggled with an eating disorder and exercise obsession as a young teenager.

I remember for years thinking nobody on the face of the planet was feeling the way I was feeling. I thought I was the only one going through mental health issues, and I was completely ashamed because of it. No one in my town or community spoke about mental health. Ever. It was completely unheard of and taboo. So I struggled in silence.

For years, I felt like a freak. But one day, I remember listening to Demi's music and hearing her share about her experiences with mental health issues (addiction, bulimia, self-harm and bipolar disorder). I couldn't believe that someone so famous could be so open about their struggles, and I was blown away completely.

As I listened to her music and watched her story, I finally realized that I wasn't the only one. That other people were struggling too. And it was completely okay to feel that way. And that if she had the strength to get help and fight her demons, maybe I could do it too.

When I heard the news about her hospitalization the other day, I was overcome with emotion. I couldn't stop refreshing the page to see if she was alright. And thank god she ended up being okay. I am sickened by the things I have seen on social media and the complete exploitation of the situation by senseless reporters who don't have their facts straight. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what drug she took. It doesn't matter how it happened.

What matters is that addiction is a disease. And a having a disease is not a choice. It's not attention seeking or acting out or making bad decisions. It's a disorder of the mind and we should start treating it like that.

I will stand by Demi - and others like her - no matter the circumstances. She has always been a warrior, activist, and a hero to so many young people across the country, and that will not stop just because she is struggling again. No one is perfect, and she should not be demonized or torn down for going through something difficult.

She is in my thoughts and prayers, and this chapter is dedicated to her. As dramatic as it might sound, she saved my life.

Love always,

Sam

***Sorry to get so serious I'm normally not a serious person but this has been on my mind for a while and yeaaaa needed to share.