Earlier this year, Lovato detailed their near-fatal 2018 overdose in the YouTube documentary series Dancing with the Devil. In the documentary, Lovato revealed they were pursuing a "California sober" lifestyle—AKA drinking alcohol and smoking weed in moderation—following the overdose. "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," they explained.

"You shouldn't be forced to get sober if you're not ready," they continued. "You shouldn't get sober for other people. You have to do it for yourself."

Ahead of Dancing with the Devil's release, Lovato explained why they choose to publicly discuss struggles with mental illness and substance abuse. "I would look at people in the media and I would just compare myself, not feel good enough, not feel thin enough, and wonder how it was that these people were living lives that seemed so perfect but yet I was in so much pain," they shared. "And when I got into the spotlight, I was like, 'Oh, it's not perfect here, nobody has a perfect life, it just looks that way.'"

As a celebrity, Lovato wanted to "break that facade for Hollywood" for their own fans. "Someone's gotta do it because we're presenting unrealistic expectations to people by only presenting our best selves at all times," they continued. "I've tried on many identities over the years—the sexy feminine pop star that I felt like people wanted me to be or the poster child for recovery—and now I'm embracing the fact that my lack of commitment to any one identity isn't a lack of commitment," they concluded. Iit's just an openness to continue to evolve."

Though Lovato is often candid and open about their struggles with addiction, they did not elaborate any further on their decision to change their lifestyle at this time.