Understanding California Sober: Exploring the Concept and Its Implications

In December 2021, pop sensation Demi Lovato popularized the term “California Sober” in an article published by USA Today. She detailed her experience living the lifestyle for the past three years since her near-fatal opioid overdose in July 2018.

Rather than praising the Cali Sober lifestyle, Lovato went on to explain her choice to abstain from drugs and use cannabis and psychedelics in their place wasn’t the right move for her. In an Instagram post, Lovato wrote the caption “Sober sober is the only way to be.”

Despite Lovato popularizing the term, the pop singer wasn’t the person to coin it in media. The term actually originates from an essay published in Vice Magazine, written by Michelle Lhooq. But what is California Sober?

What does this lifestyle choice entail, and what are the benefits and risks, if any, to going “Cali Sober?”

What is “California Sober” and Why Is It a Popular Lifestyle Choice?

Let’s start by unpacking the definition of Cali Sober. By now you’re probably a little confused about what it means, so let’s clear it up for you.

Going “California Sober” refers to the lifestyle practice of stopping the misuse or abuse of hard drugs, like opioids and stimulants, and replacing these habits with “less-dangerous” substances, like cannabis and psychedelics.

California Sober is a loose term. The most popular definition of the lifestyle choice is to replace hard drugs with cannabis use—but others may expand the interpretation of the term to the use of inorganic and organic psychedelics like “magic mushrooms” and LSD.

Since Oregon is the only state where psychedelic use is legal (The Oregon Psilocybin Services Act passed in 2020), we’ll stick to the trend of using cannabis in a Cali Sober lifestyle, for the purposes of this post.

Is California Sober a Recent Lifestyle Concept?

The reality is the choice of replacing the misuse or abuse of hard drugs and alcohol with cannabis is nothing new. The practice has been around for decades, and probably adopted by many before Demi Lovato was even born.

Since Lovato’s use of the term in media, it’s become a popular theme in American subculture, especially on the West Coast—hence it’s moniker.

With other lifestyle concepts like “Dry January” gaining popularity on social media platforms, it’s not surprising to see the Cali Sober lifestyle gaining more traction in Western society. The conventional mindset when it comes to using alcohol and drugs is that you either use them or abstain from them—but the reality is there’s a huge grey area in that frame of thinking.

So, what laid the framework for the adoption of the Cali Sober lifestyle? Let’s get into that in the next section.

The Origin of California Sober – From Prop 215 to Prop 207

Cannabis (colloquially known as marijuana, and a slew of other monikers), exploded in use in the late 1990s. Before then, the cannabis community operated in the shadows, out of view of law enforcement. The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970 prohibited the use of marijuana under Federal law, making it illegal to possess or use the drug anywhere in the United States.

In 1996, the introduction and passing of Proposition 215 in California laid the framework for change in Californias cannabis laws at a state level. This bill saw cannabis reclassified s a medicine, and the emergence of doctors and dispensaries who would “prescribe” cannabis to patients for the treatment of severe medical conditions.

It wasn’t long before people found a loophole, and these cannabis “doctors” began prescribing weed as a treatment for anything from a bum knee to migraines. Legislation continued its reform over the coming years. The real rush to cannabis freedom came nearly 25 years after the introduction of Prop 215.

The passing of Proposition 207 allowed for the recreational use of cannabis for people over 21 and included the framework for its legalization and taxation. Today, dispensaries are everywhere in America and the public opinion of the “drug” has undergone a massive shift in just the last four or five years.

Today, many users see consuming cannabis as a nontoxic, nonaddictive vice that has many physiological and mental health benefits. So, does this mean there’s merit to choosing to lead a California Sober lifestyle?

Are There Any Real Benefits to Choosing the Cali Sober Lifestyle?

There’s only one thing you need to know about cannabis use and its physiological effects on the body compared to using hard drugs and alcohol—and that’s how it affects your “HRV”.

HRV, or “Heart Rate Variability” is a measurement of cardiovascular regulation by the neurocardiac system. To take the geek speak out of that, in layman’s terms, it’s the measurement of the gap between heartbeats.

When we have high HRV, we feel more emotionally stable, more mentally active, and ready to take on anything life can throw at us. The issue with using alcohol and hard drugs, like stimulants or opioids, is that these compounds massively affect HRV—and in a very bad way.

Like our max heart rate, HRV declines with age and healthy, sober people have a high HRV (you can track HRV on many smartwatch brands). For example, if you’re in your early 40s, sober, and reasonably fit, your HRV could average around 95 to 110 over a two week period.

But if that same person were to go out after work and have a few drinks, they might experience an HRV of 40 to 60, depending on how far they took their drinking or drug use the night before.

Interestingly, cannabis use has no direct effect on HRV. Even seasoned marijuana consumers who regularly track their HRV state that using the “drug” has no impact on their HRV, no matter how much they consume. Isn’t that interesting?

Now that we have the physiological aspect covered, let’s look at how cannabis affects the mental health of users compared to hard drugs and alcohol. Actually, let’s not bother with that–we all know alcohol and drug abuse or misuse is terrible for our health. That’s apparently not the case with cannabis. Or is it? Let’s look at the risks of using this drug in a California Sober lifestyle and see if there’s merit to it.

Is Cannabis as Harmless as the Media Makes it Out to Be?

Listen to an old episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” and you’ll see the worlds most famous podcaster praising the plant for its amazing beneficial properties. Flash forward to his recent interview with neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman on the topic (JRE 1842) in mid 2024, and Joe seems to have changed his mind.

During the interview, the duo discussed the impact of today’s modern cannabis products on mental health. While smoking cannabis isn’t really healthy—consuming smoke or vapor of any kind isn’t great for your lungs—edibles don’t have this same impact on the respiratory system. So, can’t we all just slam some gummies and enjoy the benefits of cannabis?

Health issues of smoking cannabis aside, you might want to put that gummy down before you read the next section.

The reality is that over the last two decades, the cannabis plant has undergone massive changes in terms of the THC content in the average marijuana “strain.” In the late 1990s, finding a strain with THC content above 20% was incredibly rare. Today, breeders are pushing the 40% barrier.

So what does that mean?

According to Dr Huberman, many heavy cannabis users find they start dealing with anxiety as their use of the drug deepens. Those who decide to stop their heavy use of cannabis—usually via a cold turkey detox—are at risk of developing crushing rebound anxiety that can develop into severe physiological and psychological problems.

Cases of tachycardia (a condition where the heart beats faster than normal), paranoia, and even psychosis are starting to crop up in seasoned cannabis users, especially when they decide to stop the drug.

For most users, these adverse effects initiated by their cannabis use or cessation of it, usually fade away after a few weeks or months, but some users experience long-term side effects associated with use or cessation.

Even the legendary Joe Rogan, the original outspoken cannabis advocate, now believes people under 25 shouldn’t use cannabis. But why that specific age? It turns out that using cannabis before this age (typically when men go through “second puberty”), results in the brain not developing to its full potential.

So, looking at all this new evidence on the subject, simply writing off cannabis as a harmless drug isn’t correct thinking.

Is the California Sober Lifestyle Right for You?

If the lore of the California Sober lifestyle seems appealing to you, it might seem tempting to give it a go—and sure—why shouldn’t you? Millions of Americans swear by it, even if Demi Lovato said she couldn’t cope with living the lifestyle.

If you live in one of the 31 states where cannabis is either decriminalized or permitted for recreational use, stop by a dispensary and speak to a “budtender.”

If you’re curious about using the plant’s flowers or extracts in smokable, vapable, or edible form, the budtender can guide you through what to expect from the experience and how to dose it safely.

If you have a positive experience and find that it helps you stay away from abusing drugs or alcohol, then that’s a win.

But there’s always a catch, right?

The thing is that if you don’t have a problem with drugs or alcohol, you might see real benefits from adopting a Cali Sober lifestyle. But if you have a history of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) or Substance Use Disorder (SUD), then the Cali Sober lifestyle might not be for you.

You could end up swapping one addiction for the other. While most users claim cannabis isn’t addictive, that’s not the case for everyone. The increasing concentrations of THC found in cannabis strains, combined with high-strength products like edibles and extracts like dabs change the playing field a bit.

There are plenty of cases of people who find themselves “addicted” to cannabis consumption in some form, despite the claims that it’s a nonaddictive substance. The reality is anything you use habitually can eventually become—well, a habit.

In Closing – Are There Any Alternatives to Going Cali Sober?

If you’re dealing with AUD and SUD, then there is a high probability that adopting a California Sober lifestyle won’t work to wean you off your alcohol and/or drug addiction.

We can think of it as applying a band-aid to a gaping wound—it might have a temporary effect, but unless you get medical attention, you’re eventually going to bleed out.

Instead of trading one substance for another, think about getting genuinely clean instead. Like Lovato said, “sober sober” might be the only lifestyle choice left for you. Getting into a recovery program can teach you how to transition to living a sober lifestyle.

It’s a struggle, but eventually, you’ll reach a space where you don’t need to rely on substances to manage your physiology and mental health.

There are plenty of support groups all across America. Sign up for a local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) in your area. You’ll meet other people who are committed to leading a sober lifestyle.

If you feel you need help, sign into a residential inpatient program.

Inpatient treatment involves the use of Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) to detoxify your body from drugs and alcohol. When your physiology is clean you’ll go through intensive individual and group therapy sessions to help you come to terms with your condition.

Many addicts find they have “co-occurring disorders.” That means they have mental health problems that feed their addiction.

Therapy programs at inpatient treatment centers use “evidence-based” therapy strategies to help addicts uncover the trauma and thought patterns that keep them locked in the never-ending cycle of addiction.

Inpatient programs take a holistic approach to recovery, healing your body, mind, and spirit over the course of a few weeks or months. When you leave your inpatient program, you implement the “aftercare program” given to you by the treatment center, which includes ongoing support and MAT to help you stay sober.

The decision to go to California Sober might seem appealing, but it pales in comparison to the proven strategies used in inpatient and outpatient programs. At the end of the day, the choice is up to you—it’s your life. So, choose wisely.