3 December 2021

Demi Lovato is changing their ways from “California sober” to fully sober.

Demi Lovato at the Billboard Music Awards

The 29-year-old singer said earlier this year they were adhering to what they called being “California sober”, which meant they would smoke marijuana – which is legal in the US state – and drink occasionally.

But now, Demi has changed their mind about their sobriety, as they now want to be “sober sober” instead.

Posting on their Instagram story, they said: “I no longer support my ‘California sober’ ways. Sober sober is the only way.”

The ‘Confident’ hitmaker spoke about being “California sober” in March this year, when they said the “completely abstinent method” wasn’t working for them.

They said at the time: “I think that the term that I best identify with is ‘California sober’. I really don’t feel comfortable explaining the perimeters of my recovery with people, because I don’t want anyone to look at my perimeters of safety and think that’s what works for them because it might not.

“I am cautious to say that, just like I feel the complete abstinent method isn’t like a one-size-fits-all solution for everybody. I don’t think that this journey of moderation is a one-size-fits-all solution for everybody, too.”

Demi then went into detail about their personal approach to sobriety in the docuseries ‘Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil’, which addressed their past heroin addiction, near-fatal drug overdose in 2018, and subsequent recovery.

They explained: “I’ve been hesitant to share until now that I’ve been smoking weed and drinking in moderation.

“I’ve learned that shutting the doors on things makes me want to open the door even more. I’ve learned that it doesn’t work for me to say, ‘I’m never going to do this again.’ I’ve really, really struggled with this.

“I’m done with the stuff I know is going to kill me, right? But I wish that I could get some relief maybe through, like, weed or something, and telling myself that I can never have a drink or smoke marijuana, like, I feel like that’s setting myself up for failure because I am such a black and white thinker.”