THE WEEKND: “California Sober”

This Friday, The Weeknd releases a new single, “Take My Breath.”

To promote this phase of his career, The Weeknd posed for the cover of GQ magazine and gave an interview. One topic was “his recent sobriety.”

The Weeknd is “sober” — in air-quotes — like Demi Lovato is sober. She calls it “California Sober,” which means she’s smoking weed and still drinking. The Weeknd said he’s “Sober Lite.” He quit the hard drugs — cocaine, ecstasy, magic mushrooms and ketamine.

The Weeknd gets stoned and drunk. He told GQ (quote) “Drugs were a crutch. I’ve spent the last few years realizing that I don’t need it. For a lot of people, it’s hard to shake it. But I knew I didn’t want it. I’m not a heavy drinker … as much as I used to be.”