California Sober, Just What Exactly Does That Mean?

California Sober, just what does it mean? What is the difference between being California Sober or being Oklahoma Sober? Can one be California Sober and not be in California? Is California Sober a step program or interactive group therapy? I’ve heard of California dreaming, but California Sober was new to me. I have questions. To answer these questions, I went out on a journey of exploration down the information highway researching the term California Sober. To begin my search, I simply went to my computer and typed in the term to see what would pop up.

Members of a Facebook community called ‘Sober Saturdayz’ have expressed their view showing support that California Sober is and always has been cannabis only. It seems that there is some confusion about drinking alcohol while being California Sober. Some of this comes from an early mention of the term in the urban dictionary that said it meant using cannabis and alcohol only. Then there was a recent documentary where Demi Lovato referenced being California Sober while still drinking alcohol and consuming cannabis. Others have referenced California Sober as permitting cannabis and psychedelics only. The truth is, there is no solid definition of California sober. However, a growing community of people supports California Sober as strictly using cannabis as a means of harm reduction.

California Sober is All About Harm Reduction

As a kid, when I wanted to know something or ask somebody a question, I got that all too familiar answer of, “look it up”. When it came to looking up answers to questions, I usually found myself turning to the dictionary or a good set of encyclopedias. Today it isn’t much different as I found myself on the Urban dictionary. If someone is California Sober, according to the Urban dictionary, they do not use any drugs or alcohol and only consume cannabis in moderation in an effort to reinforce a harm reduction lifestyle.

Harm reduction is something a lot of people could stand to practice more of in their life. After reading a little bit more in the Urban dictionary, it looks like the term California Sober, Cali Sober, or La Sober, is a form of harm reduction where one stays away from all drugs and alcohol and only consumes cannabis in moderation.

But Isn’t Cannabis a Drug?

Now I know what some of you are thinking; you’re thinking that cannabis is a drug. According to the dictionary, the word drug means “a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.” So, you would be correct; cannabis is a drug. But sugars can also be a drug. The thrill of shopping can be considered a drug as well as sex. Caffeine, well, that is a drug. But the term drug used in this manner when defining “California Sober” is more reference towards the illicit kinds such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and prescription pills like opioids, benzos, muscle relaxers, and others.

While some will point out that cannabis is a drug, others, such as myself would also like to point out that drugs such as cocaine and heroin do not respond to natural parts of our body as the endocannabinoid system does with cannabis. Cannabis has nutritional value. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. The same cannot be said about cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, or prescription drugs, for that matter. Quite possibly, the unhealthiest part about cannabis is smoking it. When cannabis is ingested orally, it does have the potential of producing intoxicating effects, but it also has the ability to produce many different medicinal and therapeutic ones as well.

You Might Just be California Sober and Not Know It

If you have managed to remove cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, prescription pills, and other substances from your life that were causing you harm and all you do is smoke a little weed, in my book, you’re more than welcome to call yourself California Sober.  California Sober isn’t some form of a straight-laced program where a person only drinks water and eats a tree bark and grass diet. California Sober is all about harm reduction. If something’s hurting you, you stay away from it. Drugs such as heroin, cocaine, meth, and opioids have very visible and easy-to-see downsides. They ruin good people every day.

Cannabis works as a natural medicine for many people. Consumers globally utilize the therapeutic benefits of cannabis for a multitude of ailments ranging from pain and inflammation to stress, anxiety, depression, menstrual cramps, migraine headaches, insomnia, and much more. A lot of these individuals use FECO (full extraction cannabis oil) on a daily basis to help manage the above-mentioned issues.

So, I’m not quite sure if California Sober applies to someone who consumes cannabis on a daily basis as the Urban dictionary and others often use the term consuming cannabis in moderation. I myself am a daily cannabis consumer. I do not drink because it does not serve me well. I don’t do other drugs except for occasionally I might consume psilocybin mushrooms. Other than that, you might say I’m Oklahoma Sober all the time. Oklahoma Sober for me is cannabis every day, mixed with mush love from time to time.