Celebrities celebrated 420 on Tuesday, posting photos to Instagram and Twitter to commemorate the pot-smoking “holiday”. Celebrities including Demi Lovato.
Demi Lovato posted a picture to her Instagram stories of a bong while she relaxed in a hammock overlooking the beach.
In one pic, a song from her album California Sober played. The song is dedicated to her semi-sobriety: Lovato has promised herself that she will enjoy alcohol and marijuana only and “in moderation”. The choice came after her nearly deadly overdose.
In Lovato’s documentary Dancing with the Devil, she goes into more detail about her decision not to go 100% sober. She says her inner circle didn’t really understand.
“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.”
She notes, however, that “recovery isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution”.
“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?” she said. “Because it isn’t for everybody.
“You shouldn’t be forced to get sober if you’re not ready,” she went on. “You shouldn’t get sober for other people. You have to do it for yourself.”
Lovato’s friends in the documentary make it clear that they’re not entirely on board with this “faux sober” situation.
Scooter Braun, Lovato’s manager, said he didn’t “totally agree” but also did not want to alienate Lovato.
“Demi knows the whole moderation thing isn’t something I totally agree with,” he revealed. “What I’ve learned with the whole addiction thing is if I push her to do what I want, I push her away. I can’t control her. What I can do is be a friend and hope that she’s right,” Braun said.
Elton John also noted that “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,” he said. “You either do it or you don’t.”