Fellow Americans, how common is it in your neck of the woods for people to be “Cali sober”?

39 comments

1. Starting to see more of it

2. I’ve never heard the term, but I am one of those people. Haven’t had a sip of alcohol since 2015, but I smoke regularly.

3. This is the first time I’ve seen/heard that used

4. Never heard of it until just now. Midwest.

5. Most of the stoners I knew in college were that way, regardless of legal status.

   Makes sense, you only have a certain amount of money per week to get fucked up, might as well pick what you prefer.

6. The concept? Pretty widely. The phrase? Not so much.
   The phrase is used in Minnesota, but everyone who uses it will tell you what it means every time they use it.

7. I’ve never lived outside of California, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard that term. But to answer your question, I only know one person who smokes but doesn’t drink.

8. Like most uses of “Cali”, I’ve never heard this phrase before.

   I think I’ve met a few people who have switched from drinking to smoking pot, but none of them did it in the last several years.

9. I have never heard this term before now.

10. We’ll see in a few years. We just legalized mary juana.

11. Never heard of it in the Northeast

12. Washington state legalized it four years before California so no, no one says that.

13. Non drinker since about 1985, pot smoker since 1975.

14. No idea what that even means

15. Redditors are loners and loners like something meant for chilling alone instead of something made for socializing. I don’t know anyone who smokes but doesn’t drink. I’ve also never heard of that phrase.

16. Very popular here in Colorado. In addition to shrooms and the occasional k hole.

17. Never heard the term “Cali sober” before.

18. I have maybe 6-8 drinks per year and about 150 joints

    I didn’t stop drinking or cut down.. just never got into it.

    That aside, I don’t use that term and maybe never heard it but I figured it meant that

    (Sidenote— legalization didn’t change anything for me in this regard)

19. Count me in as well for never having heard of this. But I’m a non drinker and I have my MMJ license here in Florida. My wife has hers as well, but she will have some wine or a drink with her mom every so often. I’ve gone through long periods without smoking or using cannabis. I actually can’t wait for the time where it’s just available everywhere for recreational use. Or when there isn’t a stigma around its use.

20. Never heard that term.

21. The first time I heard it, it was in reference (rightfully so) to me.

22. I would say pretty rare. I recently just heard it for the first time. That being said it is a true phenomenon.

23. Never heard of it.

24. Never heard of it. (NH/MA/NYC.)

25. Yes, I know plenty in Sacramento and LA. Probably more common terminology here because it’s Cali and very accepted

26. I’m California sober. I gave up booze two years ago because it wasn’t working for me at all and became a problem. I have an edible every once in a while and that doesn’t impact my booze sobriety at all. I have zero interest in being high all of the time or getting super blazed.

27. I know a few people who only smoke weed and don’t drink. The psychedelics are definitely not included in my understanding of California Sober, though.

    My sample is probably a bit biased by the fact that my community and peer group was hit hard by the opioid epidemic.
    I know quite a few people who are off their drug of choice and smoke weed, but remain cautious of alcohol use.

28. Live in GA. Never heard the phrase.

29. Never heard of it until now

30. Never heard of that term before.

31. I know lots of people who just smoke weed and don’t drink.

32. Today I learned I’m cali sober. Goddamn

33. It’s common in sober spaces. I heard it first living in Ohio. Now in California and more prevalent here. I work in addiction though.

34. I’ve never heard the phrase. I only know a few people who (openly admit) smoke weed and they all drink too.

35. People here hate California, so you would never hear that phrase, but even here, where it’s illegal, you’ll find it everywhere.

36. The phrase isn’t new to me (I’m a Floridian). I think people choosing to be alcohol-free is becoming more common, and with cannabis laws loosening, it’s allowing for people who prefer the devil’s lettuce to do that over drinking poison. I am “Cali sober,” and I meet people like me all the time.

    https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-cali-sober/

37. To me that’s just sober.

38. Well straight away I can tell you it wasn’t coined in “cali”

39. I volunteer in the recovery community in a state that is legal.

    I will tell you that in my experience, which may not cover all people, folks in recovery who think they can do “Cali sober” relapse.

    Essentially everyone I know that tried to substitute weed for booze or opioids eventually relapsed. Weed just didn’t give them the right rush so it worked for a while but then just drew them back to their drug of choice.

    I don’t have the data to back that up. But talking with people in recovery that is the story over and over and over.