diff --git a/sentry_sdk/client.py b/sentry_sdk/client.py
index 9747c792d9..a03598a981 100644
--- a/sentry_sdk/client.py
+++ b/sentry_sdk/client.py
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ def _get_options(*args, **kwargs):
         rv["environment"] = os.environ.get("SENTRY_ENVIRONMENT") or "production"
 
     if rv["debug"] is None:
-        rv["debug"] = env_to_bool(os.environ.get("SENTRY_DEBUG", "False"), strict=True)
+        rv["debug"] = env_to_bool(os.environ.get("SENTRY_DEBUG"), strict=True) or False
 
     if rv["server_name"] is None and hasattr(socket, "gethostname"):
         rv["server_name"] = socket.gethostname()