John Loeppky
Thu, July 30, 2026 at 7:56 PM UTC
Medically reviewed by John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE
Key Takeaways
California sober means avoiding some drugs while continuing to use others, such as marijuana
There is limited research on California sober approaches, and experts say it may help some people but increase relapse risk for others
Talking with your support network and healthcare professionals may help you build a safe recovery plan
When you consider the word “sobriety,” you might envision a room full of people discussing their addictions. There’s probably a mentor involved; you might receive coins at certain milestones. That’s the model we know—the abstinence-only 12-step model of sobriety practiced by groups like Alcoholics Anonymous since 1935
But that pathway to a healthier relationship with substances isn’t the only one. One methodology, known as “California Sober,” is becoming increasingly well known in recovery circles. For some, it’s a lifeline; for others, it’s seen as a slippery slope.
What Is California Sober?
California sober is when someone in recovery abstains from certain substances, such as alcohol or “hard drugs” like cocaine and heroin, but continues to consume others, most commonly marijuana.While there’s limited research on the benefits of California sober (or similar) lifestyles, there are many public discussions about the topic, sometimes led by celebrities
One of those stars, singer Demi Lovato, released a documentary series in 2021 that cited the lifestyle as central to her recovery. A few years later, she shifted gears, acknowledging publicly that the lifestyle led to relapse
Those who spoke to us for this story noted that just because your recovery is based on abstinence or something closer to a California sober way of living does not mean you will always be in one category or the other. Recovery, like life, is fluid
Why Is the Lifestyle Controversial?
The California sober lifestyle can be a hot-button issue within recovery communities. One reason for this is that recovery journeys are not linear, and not equal, says Bill Blaber, CARC, CRPA, director of the recovery coaching program at Mountainside Treatment Center
“There’s so many people out there who do need to be abstinent,” says Blaber, who’s in long-term recovery himself. “And there’s a little bit of envy, there’s a little bit of judgment when they know that someone out there could be [California] sober.”
“It’s hard for someone who’s trying to get sober to watch somebody else live out their fantasy.”
Bill Blaber, CARC, CRPA
Jason VanRuler (LPC-MH), a counselor at Solomon Recovery who is in recovery and does drink alcohol on occasion, boils the friction down to the fundamental meaning of the term sober. “Just by nature of the word, sobriety would mean to completely abstain from,” VanRuler explains. “So I think why [California sober] becomes controversial is because it’s kind of a contradictory phrase.”
MJ Gottlieb, co-founder of the digital recovery community Loosid, is skeptical of the lifestyle’s benefits but says that it could potentially be a tool to help people understand their addiction—as long as they’re searching for the root cause of the issue.“There could be real alcoholics that are having extreme benefits of California sober; I’m not one of them,” Gottlieb says. “I was one of the people that wrecked towns and villages as a result of smoking a simple joint, which then made me romanticize a simple drink, which then had me romanticize a simple eight-ball, which then had me waking up inside of a jail cell.”
In other words, it’s personal, and it’s complicated
Does Being California Sober Work?
Blaber is adamant that California sober techniques can fall within the boundaries of harm reduction. He says a common misconception is that people following the framework are being cavalier about their substance use
From what he’s seen with clients over his career, what people really need for success is a foundation and a direction. “California sober isn’t ‘Oh, I’m gonna use what I feel like it,’” Blaber says. “There needs to be a wellness plan behind it.” That plan involves being open and honest with people in your circle about the path you’re taking, given that relapsing is a very real risk no matter what stage of recovery you are in.”
In VanRuler’s case, his alcohol consumption is highly self-regulated. He will only drink on Friday and Saturday nights and does not consume more than two in any one evening. He says that it’s important for him to be continually in tune with his boundaries
“If for some reason that would change and I’m no longer able to follow these guidelines that I’ve set out for myself, I’d be done with alcohol,” VanRuler says
What Do Mental Health Practitioners Say?
California Sober can have its benefits, says Dr. Evan Espinosa, PsyD. But it can sometimes be more challenging than other frameworks for avoiding harmful substances.“You really have to do a lot of deep diving on it yourself—your cravings, your triggers, your overall ability, and how you are maintaining progress towards your goals,” Espinosa explains. “As opposed to, if you’re just sober-sober, the answer’s no to everything.”
Espinosa recommends his clients spend 30 days entirely sober from all substances so that they can identify these triggers, cravings, needs, and wants. From there, people can decide whether something like being California sober might be a good fit for them. He says methods like psychoeducation and motivational interviewing are helpful tools for self-examination in the early stages of recovery.“How do you find [ways of] coping in your social self, your emotional self, your spiritual self, in your behaviors? Let’s get you set up with a routine when your brain can get dopamine and serotonin from other more natural, healthy sources outside of just drugs,” Espinosa adds.
What Are the Pros and Cons?
Thinking of going California sober? The lifestyle may:
Offer a gateway to recovery, a tool in the toolbox
Allow you to reevaluate your relationship with substances individually, rather than as a whole
Ease the transition
Keep you sober from the substances causing the most harm in your life.
Give you permission to see yourself within a recovery framework while also using some substances for other reasons. For example, using marijuana for chronic pain.
Here are some potential downfalls to consider:
Can result in relapse—sometimes now called recurrence.
Can require more self-work and discipline compared to an abstinence-only approach.
May leave you isolated in some recovery communities that don’t consider being California Sober as truly being in recovery
If you are considering a California sober lifestyle, speak with your support network, including medical professionals, to ensure you have the tools and re
The Dangers of Judging Others’ Sobriety Approaches
Regardless of how you feel about California sober approaches, Gottlieb says it’s important to acknowledge that people in recovery are asking questions about it every day: “[Last week] I was up in the mountains in Los Feliz having this very discussion with one person who was using marijuana and another person who was not, and I think it’s very good to always open up a very important dialogue about it, as opposed to excluding and shutting the topic down altogether.”
VanRuler says that overly prescriptive discussions around recovery methods can miss the point
“I think we have to be careful because sometimes the reason people struggle with addiction is they feel they’ve never been seen, heard, or had a voice,” VanRuler says. “And so if we say, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry you’re struggling with that, now you just need to do all of these things, and we don’t really care how you feel about it’—sometimes, I wonder if we’re not just doing more of the same.”
Espinosa says he isn’t a one-method truther. “That’d be like me saying that the only way to make a spaghetti sauce is how my grandmother taught me,” Espinosa says. “Well, no. There’s tons of grandmothers, grandfathers out there, and people out there who make a damn good spaghetti sauce.”
The goal is recovery. How you get there is individual, regardless of society’s expectations, but it does require taking action. Or, as Blaber puts it: “Please do not stay away from the treatment world or the recovery world because you don’t want to put everything down.”
Read the original article on Verywell Mind
