SunFest opener Billy Idol is 'California sober': 'Not the same drug addicted person'

Billy Idol, one of SunFest's leading acts as the music and arts fest kicks off on Friday, May 3, is being candid about being "California sober" instead of traditional abstinence.

Idol, who emerged from the London punk rock scene in the 1970s and hit it big with hits like "Rebel Yell," "White Wedding" and "Eyes Without a Face" revealed in an interview with People published May 1 that after "a long time" he gradually "did achieve some sort of discipline" when it comes to substances.

"I'm not really the same kind of guy I was in the '80s. I'm not the same drug-addicted person," the 68-year-old said, noting that he started his sobriety journey after he nearly lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 1990.

Idol said that in AA programs, addiction was always described as a lifelong illness. "And that may be true, but I don't do anything that much anymore. I got over it somehow. I was really lucky that I could get over it because a lot of people can't."

"I can have a glass of wine every now and again," the former Generation X frontman continued. "I'm, I suppose, 'California sober.' I just tell myself I can do what I want, but then I don't do it. If I tell myself I can't do anything, I want to do it. So I tell myself, 'You can do anything you like.' But I don't actually do it."

“California sober” is a controversial and somewhat fluid colloquialism to describe people who abstain from most substances.

Idol noted that it "helps" that "a lot of my friends from the old days are sober," as well as his bandmates Steve Stevens and Billy Morrison.

Demi Lovato explored 'California sober' in 2021 docuseries

Demi Lovato is among other celebrities who have opened up about being "California sober."

In her YouTube docuseries, “Dancing With the Devil,” she said that she still consumed alcohol and used marijuana in moderation, following a near-fatal overdose in 2018.

"I know I'm done with the stuff that's going to kill me," she said. “But swearing off alcohol and marijuana entirely is just setting myself up for failure.”

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However, months after the docuseries release, the singer announced on her Instagram Story: "I no longer support my ‘California sober’ ways."

"Sober sober is the only way to be," said Lovato, who played what was then the Cruzan Amphitheatre in 2014 with the Jonas Brothers.

In the docuseries, some people in Lovato's support system said they understood her desire to explore boundaries, while others worried about her approach. Elton John, an outspoken proponent of the AA model that stresses abstinence, was direct in his disapproval.

"Moderation doesn't work," John said. "If you drink, you're going to drink more; if you take a pill, you're going to take another one. You either do it or you don't."

USA Reporters Edward Segarra, Alia E. Dastagir contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Billy Idol of Rebel Yell and White Wedding fame, is California sober