Demi Lovato Completes Latest Rehab Stint in Wake of Decision Sobriety Changes

Demi Lovato has completed another stint in rehab in the wake of making changes to their sobriety. Us Weekly reports that Lovato entered the facility and “returned home from rehab during the holidays.” According to an insider, “Demi will have a sober living companion [with] them during this transition. It was their decision to go back to rehab.”

In December, the “Dancing With The Devil” singer shared on their Instagram story that “I no longer support my ‘California sober’ ways. Sober sober is the only way to be.” The term “California sober” tends to mean abstaining from hard drugs but still using marijuana and alcohol.

In March of 2021, Lovato explained their decision to keep drinking and smoking weed following their 2018 overdose. In their YouTube docuseries Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil, Lovato confessed that they “really struggled” with deciding on whether or not to come forward with the truth about their sobriety. “I’ve learned that it doesn’t work for me to say that I’m never going to do this again,” they said, per ET.

“I know I’m done with the stuff that’s going to kill me, right?” they went on to say. “Telling myself that I can never have a drink or smoke marijuana, I feel like that’s setting myself up for failure because I am such a black-and-white thinker. I had it drilled into my head for so many years that one drink was equivalent to a crack pipe.” The singer then shared that they had “been smoking weed and drinking in moderation.”

“I also don’t want people to hear that and think that they can go out and try having a drink or smoking a joint, you know? Because it isn’t for everybody,” Lovato also said, explaining that they did not believe their path was for everyone. “Recovery isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. You shouldn’t be forced to get sober if you’re not ready. You shouldn’t get sober for other people. You have to do it for yourself.”

However, at the time, those around Lovato expressed their apprehension about this approach. It should be noted that these interviews occurred before Lovato came out as nonbinary and started using they/them pronouns. “It does kind of scare me now to know that she isn’t sober,” said Lovato’s assistant Jordan Jackson, who was the one to find them unresponsive after their overdose. Music icon Elton John also commented, speaking as someone who famously dealt with substance abuse issues. “Moderation doesn’t work. Sorry. If you drink you’re going to drink more. If you take a pill, you’re going to take another one. You either do it or you don’t.”

Lovato’s manager Scooter Braun also commented on their choice to drink and smoke marijuana, stating that he was not really supportive of it. “Demi knows the whole moderation thing isn’t something I totally agree with,” he says. “What I’ve learned with the whole addiction thing is if I push [them] to do what I want, I push [them] away. I can’t control [them]. What I can do is be a friend and hope that she’s right.” It seems as though Lovato has also come around to this way of thinking.