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Demi told MTV: 'One of the hardest things was learning I was worth recovery. And I'm allowed to celebrate it, which is a great feeling.. Recovery doesn't have a day off.. I speak about a lot of serious issues, and I really hope to get awareness out there about the issues that I dealt with. But at the end of the day, I just want people to see what it's like to be in my shoes. I talked about the journey that I've been on, and I just want people to take away a positive message. It gets better.'

Demi Plant City pix. Photos: Bianca T. More pix HERE!

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'I've just been working at it a day at a time and have been trying to continue to fight my hardest. And I've had my ups and downs, and I'm still trying, but overall it's been a really great journey, and I'm thankful for everything that I've been through. ..I won Favorite Pop Artist at the People's Choice Awards.. So that was the highlight of my year so far. I worked really hard towards that, and it was just amazing.. I think it's important to make sure that people know there's a positive side to it, that you can kind of rework your story no matter what. I'm just trying to be an example for girls today.'

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Demi Lovato rocks out in torn jeans and a leather vest as she performs at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City, Florida. The Disney starlet is set to document her public struggles with eating disorders since leaving a treatment center last year in an MTV Documentary called 'Stay Strong'. Photos: PacficCoastNews.

'I was most definitely nervous about opening up to the cameras. And I was very hesitant to say certain things, but once I was around them for a while, I felt more comfortable and really opened up towards them. My goals for my fans? It's to really inspire people/ That's all I hope to accomplish. If there is a young girl at home dealing with the same issues that I'm dealing with, I want to be able to reach out to her and tell her that it's going to be OK.

You know, I speak about a lot of serious issues and I really hope to get awareness out there about the issues that I dealt with/ But at the end of the day, I just want people to see what it's like to be in my shoes. I kind of talked about the journey that I've been on and I just want people to take away a positive message. It gets better, you know?'

Teen Vogue interview: What kind of advice do you have for girls going through similar issues? Get help and be vocal about your problems. Don't hold anything inside, because that will only stall your recovery. A lot of girls and boys that are dealing with bullying and dealing with issues like I was dealing with are confused and they're experimenting with different coping skills. It's really difficult to give advice to people who don't know what they have yet. I wish that I would have been more vocal about it earlier.

What do you wish you could tell yourself a year ago? I don't know exactly what I would tell myself.. I would say to be more cautious of the decisions I make in the future. Prevent some of the mistakes happening in my career and my friendships and love life.

What should girls do if their friends are going through tough stuff? It's hard because I know people who do have problems, and it's really hard to confront them. I would try to talk to talk to them about it, and if they want help, they'll open up. And if they don't, you can't really help them and it's not in your control.

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