Miley Cyrus has lived roughly a thousand lives in front of our eyes. One minute she’s the girl next door with a blonde wig, and the next she’s lighting up on a Vegas stage. It’s been a wild ride. Honestly, the conversation around drugs Miley Cyrus has used, advocated for, and eventually walked away from is one of the most misunderstood arcs in Hollywood.
People love a simple narrative. They want the "downfall" or the "miracle recovery." But with Miley, it’s always been about control. Or the lack of it.
The Era of "Weed Is the Best Drug on Earth"
Back in 2013, Miley wasn't just using cannabis; she was its unofficial spokesperson. She famously told Rolling Stone that "weed is the best drug on earth." She didn't stop there, either. She lumped in MDMA, calling them "happy drugs" that make you want to be with people. She was twenty. She was breaking out of the Disney cage. It felt like rebellion, but for her, it was also a creative engine.
Then came the Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz era in 2015. This was the peak of her psychedelic experimentation. While she told PAPER Magazine around that time that she hadn't actually tried traditional psychedelics like LSD, her music and visuals said otherwise. She later clarified that she had leaned heavily into Ayahuasca—a South American plant medicine.
She described seeing "snakes" that take you underground to meet "Mama Aya." It sounds intense because it is. She credits that experience with opening her mind, but as she grew older, the "fun" started to feel like a weight.
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That Famous 2017 Pivot
Suddenly, the smoke cleared. Literally. While promoting her album Younger Now, she showed up to The Tonight Show looking... different. Clear-eyed. She told Jimmy Fallon she had quit smoking weed because she wanted to be "super clear" when talking about her new music.
She had this nightmare, she said. She dreamt she would get so stoned that she’d just die during her monologue on SNL. That kind of anxiety is a far cry from the "happy drugs" vibe of her early twenties.
Why the Sobriety Stuck This Time
A lot of people think celebrities get sober just for the PR. With Miley, it was actually a medical necessity that turned into a lifestyle. In late 2019, she had to undergo major vocal cord surgery. The instructions were strict: no talking, no singing, and definitely no smoking for a month.
When you're forced to be silent, you start thinking.
- Family History: She started digging into her lineage. She realized that both the Cyrus and Finley sides of her family have deep-rooted struggles with addiction and mental health.
- The 27 Club: She admitted to Rolling Stone that turning 27 scared her. She didn't want to become another statistic like Kurt Cobain or Amy Winehouse.
- Performance: She realized she couldn't be a "100 percenter" if she was waking up groggy.
It wasn't just about the drugs Miley Cyrus was avoiding; it was about the person she wanted to become. She wanted to be a legend, and legends need their voice.
The Lockdown "Regression"
Here is where it gets human. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Miley admitted she "fell off." She didn't go back to drugs, but she did start drinking again. She didn't call it a relapse. She called it a "regression."
"I’m not a moderation person," she told Zane Lowe. That is a heavy realization to have at 28. She realized that while she might not be an "alcoholic" in the traditional sense, she didn't like who she became after one too many drinks. She wasn't the best daughter. She wasn't the best partner.
She got back on the wagon quickly. By the time "Flowers" became a global anthem in 2023, she was operating with a level of sobriety that felt permanent. She even mentioned that "Flowers" was the first song she wrote entirely sober, which gave it a kind of "healing" energy she hadn't tapped into before.
Is She Still "Mostly Sober"?
As of 2024 and 2025, Miley describes herself as "mostly sober," though she’s been very specific about what that means lately. In a 2024 interview with David Letterman, she joked about her mom, Tish, being a heavy smoker.
Miley tried to take a "tiny puff" of her mom's joint recently and said she "couldn't drive for three days" and "didn't know who she was." It seems her tolerance—and her desire for that headstate—is just gone. She’s traded the "weed machine" in her house (which she says is still full but unused) for things that actually keep her grounded.
What Replaced the High?
You can't just take something out of a lifestyle without putting something back in. Miley's current "medicine" is surprisingly domestic.
- Ashtanga Yoga: This isn't the "stretching in a park" kind of yoga. It's athletic, intense, and requires massive focus.
- Gardening: She recently told Pamela Anderson that putting seeds in the ground is what keeps her grounded. It’s a creative outlet that has nothing to do with fame.
- Clean Living: She’s been called the "Queen of Pristine" by her friends because she’s obsessed with organizing every drawer and every relationship in her life.
Navigating Your Own Path
If you're looking at the history of drugs Miley Cyrus used and her subsequent journey to clarity, the takeaway isn't that everyone needs to go "sober-sober" tomorrow. It's about the "100% rule." Miley's primary motivation was that she hated feeling like she wasn't reaching her full potential.
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If you're questioning your own relationship with substances, start by tracking how you feel the morning after. Not just physically, but mentally. Do you feel ready to take on the day, or are you just trying to survive it?
Miley’s story shows that recovery isn't a straight line. It's a series of "metamorphoses." You might "regress." You might have to have surgery to finally listen to your body. But the goal is to find what makes you feel like the most authentic version of yourself. For Miley, that meant putting down the joint and picking up a Grammy.
To get started on a similar path of self-reflection, try a "digital and chemical detox" for just 48 hours. Turn off the phone, skip the evening drink, and see what thoughts actually come to the surface when it’s quiet.