Demi Lovato's sister Madison De La Garza, 21, opens up about sobriety journey: 'I feel free'

Madison De La Garza's commitment to sobriety was inspired by her mom.

“I went through a lot of things last year that made me want to stay in bed, made me want to hide from the world,” the younger half-sister of pop star Demi Lovato told E! News in an interview published March 21.

“My best friend was substances, and it disconnected me from those around me," she said. "When I realized it started to affect my relationship with not only my friends, but specifically my relationship with my mom, that’s when I knew I had to make a change.”

The 21-year-old is now sober and 255 days into her "journey of recovery." She said her mom, Dianna De La Garza, whom she shares with Lovato, is her "best friend."

“She’s my everything," she said. "I would do anything for her.”

The former “Desperate Housewives” star said she's already benefiting from sobriety.

“I feel free,” she said. “The world seems lighter and more colorful.”

She said older sister Demi Lovato, who has been open about her own journey with addiction and sobriety, helped her during the recovery journey.

“Just like how Demi’s life has been an example for me, now I get to be that example for other people, and I could not be happier," she said. "I’m grateful for that.”

“She obviously gives me a lot of great sister advice,” De La Garza continued. “But I think it’s more powerful to see her in action. I’ve started to share my personal story, and I would have never, ever, ever done that if it wasn’t for her. Her honesty, her bravery and being an open book, I think that is what drives me.”

De La Garza, an actor and filmmaker, said not being "tied down to a substance" has given her more mobility to go where she wants.

“Things are easier," she said. "I just took a trip to New York, and I wasn’t panicking because I was tied down to a substance. I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh, what if I can’t use this? What if I don’t have my crutch?’”

She said she wants everyone to feel how she does right now.

“I have been helping people who are going through the same thing as I have," she said. "I have a lot of friends who looked to me and said, ‘Hey, I’m going to go get help, because I saw that you got help and it changed your life, and I want that freedom that you have.’”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com