Lukas Nelson has never shied away from carving his own path—even when that path diverges from the one taken by his famous father.
The 37-year-old singer-songwriter, who is the son of country music icon Willie Nelson, opened up to People this week about his decision to stop drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana roughly two years ago, a choice he says ultimately came down to one simple but life-changing factor: sleep.
“Every time I took a drink or smoked weed, it just f---ed my sleep up. I think I honestly can credit the WHOOP band for making me stop drinking,” Nelson said, referring to the fitness band that tracks exercise and sleep metrics. “Because I was just like, even one drink, it just screws it up so bad that I was like, ‘I’d rather wake up feeling good.’”
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While Lukas says he was never particularly attached to drinking, giving up marijuana was more difficult—especially given his father’s long-standing association with it. Still, he says the decision led to clarity he hadn’t experienced before.
“I got clear with myself, and I faced a lot of my fears, and I realized they weren’t that scary after all,” he said. “Now I can be clear with myself and not want to run away from myself, which is great. I get high from making the right decision every time. I’m addicted to that high now of saying no. It’s a great feeling.”
One of the fears Lukas confronted head-on was flying—something he says he likely never would have tackled when he was smoking heavily.
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“I got my pilot’s license, and did all these things that I wanted to do that when I was smoking a lot of weed, I never would’ve tried, because I’d have figured I probably shouldn’t do both those things at the same time,” he explained.
Lukas has previously clarified that he does not consider himself “completely” sober, noting on Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast that he still does mushrooms once or twice a year.
He has also spoken publicly about how his father responded to his lifestyle change, saying Willie was fully supportive.
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“My father, of anyone, respects someone for being who they are and their individuality,” Lukas said during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, adding that the “biggest lie” he ever believed was that he was supposed to “make the mistakes that your heroes make.”
Interestingly, Willie Nelson, now 92, revealed last summer in an interview with Forbes that he has also largely stopped smoking marijuana.
“My lungs have already said, ‘Don’t do that,’” Willie said in June. “So I don’t really do anything now much except a few edibles.”
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The father and son are also currently linked in another rare way: competition. Both have albums nominated in the Best Traditional Country Album category at the upcoming 2026 Grammy Awards. Lukas is nominated for his debut solo album American Romance, while Willie earned a nod for Oh What a Beautiful World. It's the first time a father-son country music duo has been nominated against each other in the same category.
Reflecting on growing up in the shadow of a legend, Lukas said music ultimately helped him define himself on his own terms.
“I was kind of an awkward kid. I wondered who I was in the context of being the son of someone famous,” he said. “Music gave me an avenue to put all my pain into and transform it, like alchemy, into something beautiful. It really did save my life. It kept me from going down dark paths, and it’s given me a sense of meaning and purpose and confidence.”
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