California sober — or Cali sober, for short — offers an identity to those who are not completely sober by definition, but have decided to cut back on substances that don’t align with a lifestyle focused on well-being. The term most frequently refers to cutting back on or abstaining from alcohol while choosing to use plant medicines like cannabis on a more regular basis.
With the decriminalization and legalization of cannabis continuing across the US, the Cali sober trend is becoming more widespread. Celebrities like Fiona Apple, Demi Lovato, Wiz Khalifa and Gina Kirschenheiter have touted it publicly. Forbes calls it “the next billion dollar industry,” and Bloomberg cites the growth of marijuana sales that coincide with the decline in alcohol sales. According to The Hill, Gen-Z is drinking 20% less alcohol than Millennials and cites cannabis as a better substance to fit the generation’s lifestyle.
For decades, alcohol has been tightly woven into the fabric of our culture: we use it to celebrate, mourn, blow off steam, and for no reason at all. Proponents of the Cali sober lifestyle believe that cannabinoids have a promising future in culture to process and celebrate in a way that they deem healthier. Though cannabis use is not without risk, studies have shown that there is no fatal dosage and the likelihood of addiction compared to alcohol is significantly lower.
In 2019, The Cut reporter Katie Heaney pointed out the stigma around cannabis and the Cali sober lifestyle in states where the plant is not yet legal. Today, 23 states have legalized cannabis so the more widespread access to beverages, edibles and flower is certainly normalizing the substance. And now there is a new (still illegal in almost all states) “healthy” drug on the horizon: psilocybin. We’ll leave you with Elle Magazine’s take on how that will affect the Cali sober trend.
*The statements made within this article have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements and the products of this company are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.