Demi Lovato has always been open and honest with her fans about her journey to sobriety after struggling with substance abuse and self-harm for years — and while that means publicly celebrating milestones like officially being six years sober, it also means bravely owning up to the obstacles she’s faced along the way (because it’s never easy).
To that end, the singer and mental health advocate released a new single called “Sober” on Thursday — and in it, she admits to her fans that she has relapsed since her announcement that she’d been sober for six years as of March 2018.
“My truth… #sober out now,” she captioned an Instagram post announcing the song.
In “Sober,” Demi sings, “Mama, I’m so sorry I’m not sober anymore / And daddy please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor / And I’m sorry for the fans I lost who watched me fall again / I wanna be a role model, but I’m only human.”
As a source confirmed to Entertainment Tonight, it sounds like Demi’s relapse happened sometime between the end of the North American leg of her Tell Me You Love Me, tour on April 2 and the beginning of the European leg, which began on May 24.
“Demi relapsed and started drinking alcohol again,” another source told ET. “Her song is intense, but that’s how she deals. She has to be brutally honest and put it out there so that she’s not burdened with holding on to her struggles privately.”
While she absolutely doesn’t have to share anything about her personal journey with sobriety, we’re *so* proud of Demi for being brave enough to use her platform to share the good and the bad — hopefully “Sober” will help her to make peace with her relapse and move on