Lala Kent is not a fan of Demi Lovato‘s take on sobriety.
In a recent appearance on the “Behind the Velvet Rope” podcast, the “Vanderpump Rules” star, 30, said she does not agree that a person who smokes marijuana and drinks alcohol can identify as sober.
“I don’t like to judge, but I actually think that that’s super offensive,” Kent told the podcast’s host, David Yontef. “You know, there are people out there who work their a– off to never take themselves out of reality and to never place themselves in an altered state. You know, they don’t even, when they have a cold, take DayQuil or NyQuil.”
Kent, who celebrated two years of sobriety this past fall added, “So to say that you’re, like, ‘California sober’ or this type of sober is extremely offensive, I think.”
Lovato, 28, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, has been very open for years regarding their struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. And it wasn’t a near-fatal overdose in 2018, Lovato started their recovery process once again.
But in an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” that aired in March, Lovato said they still use marijuana and drink alcohol.
“I think the term that I best identify with is ‘California sober,'” Lovato said.
“I really don’t feel comfortable explaining the parameters of my recovery to people because I don’t want anyone to look at my parameters of safety and think that’s what works for them because it might not.”
The “complete abstinent method isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for everybody,” they added.
But to Kent, that definition doesn’t cut it.
“If you are drinking or you’re smoking weed, you’re not sober,” said Kent, who shares daughter Ocean with fiancé Randall Emmett earlier this year.
Kent was not the only one who has found fault in Lovato’s sobriety approach.
Elton John, who has been sober for over 30 years, said: “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.”
While her new manager Scooter Braun also said: “Demi knows the whole moderation thing isn’t something I totally agree with.”
In a recent interview with Zach Sang Lovato stated: “I didn’t make up this term, right? I just heard it and was like, ‘Oh, that sounds green and applies to me. But I think that different people have different meanings for it. So it might be moderation to some people, it might be only natural things to some people.”
“I’ve decided that I’m probably never going to discuss the parameters surrounding my recovery and what that looks like. Because when I do get into details with people, it just kind of opens myself up for more scrutiny than I need.”