{"id":208611,"date":"2021-03-22T23:49:28","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T20:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/demi-lovato-says-shes-california-sober\/"},"modified":"2021-03-22T23:49:28","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T20:49:28","slug":"demi-lovato-says-shes-california-sober","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/demi-lovato-says-shes-california-sober\/","title":{"rendered":"#Demi Lovato says she’s ‘California sober’"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Demi Lovato says she’s ‘California sober’<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n

In the wake of her near-fatal heroin and fentanyl overdose in 2018<\/a>, Demi Lovato has described her moderate drinking and cannabis use during addiction recovery as being \u201cCalifornia sober.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 28-year-old pop star was asked to talk about her return to the limelight following almost a decade of struggle with addiction<\/a> during an interview with Tracy Smith <\/a>on \u201cCBS Sunday Morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lovato has endured two highly publicized relapses and suffered \u201cthree strokes and a heart attack\u201d during that time \u2014 details of which will be shared in her forthcoming YouTube<\/a> documentary \u201cDancing With the Devil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lovato also talked about her current stage of recovery, when CBS\u2019s Smith asked her to elaborate on the \u201cmoderation\u201d app<\/a>roach to recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you\u2019re doing what they call moderation, I guess, right? So, you\u2019re drinking, smoking a little bit of weed, is that fair to say?\u201d Smith asked. <\/p>\n

\"Demi
Demi Lovato says she still smokes weed and drinks alcohol, referring to the type of management known as \u201cCalifornia sober.\u201d<\/figcaption>
Biden Inaugural Committee via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYeah. I think the term that I best identify with is \u2018California sober,\u2019\u2009\u201d said Lovato<\/a>, at her Los Angeles home with Smith last week. \u201cI really don\u2019t feel comfortable explaining the parameters of my recovery to people, because I don\u2019t want anyone to look at my parameters of safety and think that\u2019s what works for them, because it might not.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued, \u201cI am cautious to say that, just like I feel the complete abstinent method isn\u2019t a one-size-fits-all solution for everybody, I don\u2019t think that this journey of moderation is a one-size-fits-all solution for everybody, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet some viewers were critical of the \u201cCalifornia sober\u201d tagline. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo clue what the specifics of \u2018California sober\u2019 are, but I would be offended if I was from California and that was the label. cc:@CBSSunday,\u201d tweeted one critic in response to the segment.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201c@ddlovato I want to let you know you are not a role model for recovery from opiates. Your claim that you are \u2018California Sober\u2019 is an insult. A stroke. Brain damage. Blindness and hearing loss. And you still drink?! Such a waste of talent. #wedorecover,\u201d added another<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Demi
Demi Lovato has described her moderate drinking and cannabis use during addiction recovery as being \u201cCalifornia sober.\u201d<\/figcaption>
NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the textbook definition of \u201csober\u201d implies a total lack of intoxicating substances, Lovato\u2019s \u201cCalifornia sober\u201d is different \u2014 a little more loosely defined.<\/p>\n

Also shortened to \u201cCali sober,\u201d the tongue-in-cheek catchphrase was coined in 2016, according to one of the earliest definitions on UrbanDictionary.com<\/a>: \u201cTo abstain from all drugs except marijuana and alcohol.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a terrible term,\u201d said NYU Langone Health addiction psychiatrist Dr. Collin Reiff, explaining that the \u201cambiguous\u201d word indicates a lack of accountability in the addiction patient. \u201cIt\u2019s a real slippery slope,\u201d he told The Post.<\/p>\n

But the concept of \u201cmoderation\u201d bears merit, according to Dr. Reiff, who prefers the \u201charm reduction\u201d approach. Programs such as Moderation Management (MM), founded by\u00a0Audrey Kishline in 1994 as an alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous\u2019 abstinence-based 12-step program, can help \u201copen the door\u201d to recovery for addicts who may feel that self-controlled drug or alcohol use is achievable for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, in\u00a0approximately 30% of cases<\/a>, MM participants move on to complete sobriety and abstinence from intoxicants. Moreover, a 2003 study found that 15% of participants in MM\u00a0showed symptoms tantamount to clinical alcoholism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to meet my patients where they\u2019re currently at,\u201d said Dr. Reiff,\u00a0whose patients most often move on to drug and alcohol abstinence. As an entryway to recovery, \u201charm reduction works,\u201d he added. \u201cBut harm reduction does\u00a0no<\/em>t work when someone has a history of relapsing, getting themselves in life threatening situations, or compromising others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for some, a label like \u201cCalifornia sober\u201d may serve to support the addict\u2019s denial of their\u00a0disease. \u201cAmbiguity is a restraining force that holds the individual back from sobriety,\u201d said Dr. Reiff. \u201cIt takes courage to be specific.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrie Wilkens, co-founder and clinical director of the Center for Motivation and Change in Manhattan, conceded that it may seem tone-deaf towards Californians who engage in\u00a0sobriety, but praised Lovato for her \u201cbravery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that she is talking about her process so openly is a gift and I\u2019m sure inspirational to many,\u201d Wilkens told The Post, adding that \u201cone-size-does-not-fit-all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is often a long, multi-step process of understanding what your goals need to be and why,\u201d Wilkens explained. \u201cIt takes a lot of bravery to share your change process with the world and I\u2019ll give her a lot of credit for doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of the potential successes and pitfalls associated with this approach, Lovato has strongly identified with the slogan potentially problematic slogan \u2014 as indicated by the song \u201cCalifornia Sober,\u201d which appears on her upcoming album, \u201cDancing with the Devil \u2026 the Art of Starting Over,\u201d set to drop on April 2.<\/p>\n

She concluded during Sunday\u2019s interview, \u201cI feel so good. I feel more joy in my life than I\u2019ve ever felt, because I\u2019m not quieting or diminishing any part of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDancing with the Devil\u201d premieres Tuesday on YouTube.\n <\/p><\/div>\n