Miley Cyrus Reveals Family ‘Addiction and Mental Health Challenges,’ Explains Why She Got Sober
Miley Cyrus opened up about her past drug use and why she decided to get sober six months ago.
In a new virtual interview with Variety Tuesday (June 23), the "Slide Away" hit-maker spoke candidly about her sobriety and how her major lifestyle change came after she underwent vocal cord surgery.
"It’s been really important for me over the last year living a sober lifestyle because I really wanted to polish up my craft," Cyrus said. "I had [a] really big vocal surgery in November. I had freaking four weeks where I wasn’t allowed to talk."
While she initially got sober for the surgery, the pop star's family's history with addiction and mental health struggles made her decision to stay away from drugs and alcohol a lot easier.
"I had been thinking a lot about my mother," Cyrus explained. "My mom was adopted, and I inherited some of the feelings she had, the abandonment feelings and wanting to prove that you’re wanted and valuable."
She continued, "My dad’s parents divorced when he was 3, so my dad raised himself. I did a lot of family history, which has a lot of addiction and mental health challenges. So just going through that and asking, ‘Why am I the way that I am?’ By understanding the past, we understand the present and the future much more clearly. I think therapy is great."
Cyrus also discussed the challenges of maintaining a sober lifestyle.
"It’s really hard because especially being young, there’s that stigma of 'you’re no fun,'" she said. "It’s like, 'Honey, you can call me a lot of things, but I know that I’m fun.' The thing that I love about it is waking up 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. I don’t want to wake up feeling groggy. I want to wake up feeling ready."
Elsewhere in her interview, the 27-year-old singer opened up about her role in Netflix’s Black Mirror, admitting that without her parents, she believes her life "would’ve been more similar to the Ashley O story."