This post originally appeared on Teen Vogue.
Miley Cyrus has been open about her journey with sobriety, and in a new interview she got real about something so man sober people have experience with: Relapsing.
Chatting with Zane Lowe for Apple Music in an interview released on Monday, Miley said she “fell off” her sobriety during the pandemic, but is now two weeks sober.
“I fell off and I realized that I now am back on sobriety, two weeks sober, and I feel like I really accepted that time,” she said, according to USA Today. “One of the things I’ve used is, ‘Don’t get furious, get curious.’ So don’t be mad at yourself, but ask yourself, ‘What happened?'”
Miley’s perspective is an admirable one. There’s so much stigma wrapped up in substance use, particularly for sober people. Using substances after a period of sobriety isn’t a moral failure, it’s a common challenge most sober people face. It might have been easy for Miley to get upset with herself or judge her actions, but her curiosity is likely a more productive frame of mind.
In June, Miley said she was six months sober, initially giving up substances because of a vocal surgery and family history. She said at the time she wanted to better understand herself and why she is the way she is, and enjoyed waking up feeling ready to go, rather than groggy. In the new interview, Miley clarified that she doesn’t have a problem with alcohol, but rather the choices she makes when she’s drinking.
“I don’t have a problem with drinking,” she said. “I have a problem with the decisions I make once I go passed that level [of being tipsy].”
Another part of her sobriety, Miley said, was a need to protect herself from a fate that many other young artists have met.
“Twenty-seven to me was a year that I really had to protect myself. That actually really made me want to get sober, because we’ve lost so many icons at 27,” Miley, who just turned 28, said. Artists like Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and more have all died at age 27. “It’s a very pivotal time. You go into that next chapter or this is it for you.”
Now, Miley is moving forward with her sobriety, celebrating her two week mark. Congrats to her!
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